Thousands of angry Greeks took to the streets today to urge lawmakers not to vote for a drastic pension reform, but a low turnout offered a sign of growing weariness with anti-austerity protests, Reuters reported. Some 12,000 people beating drums, blowing whistles and holding banners reading "If we don't react, we will starve" marched peacefully to parliament in protest against cuts in pension benefits and increasing the retirement age to 65 for all. "It's horrible. We paid all our contributions and we are not going to get anything," said private sector worker Vaso Spoulou, 54. She had filed a request for early retirement fearing the reform would cut her pension. "They are destroying everything," she said. Flights to and from Greece were disrupted throughout the day, ferries remained tied up at ports, public transport was frozen and public offices were shut as unions staged their sixth 24-hour strike this year against austerity. The turnout for the march roughly was the same as in an anti-austerity protest last week but much smaller than the 50,000 who assembled on May 5 for the biggest protest this year. Lawmakers are expected to vote later on Thursday on the pension bill, a key condition for an austerity deal agreed with the European Union and the IMF in return for a 110-billion-euro ($138.6 billion) aid package. The legislation is seen by analysts as a major test of the government's ability to push through structural reforms. But many are angry with the prospect of working longer for a smaller pension, particularly women who can retire as young as 55. The reform comes on top of tens of billions of euros in austerity steps and is one of the most unpopular. Lawmakers agreed in principle on the legislation in a preliminary vote late on Wednesday, in a sign that the bill was likely to pass during the final vote, despite grumblings in the ruling socialist party ranks. -- SPA
