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Athens • Greek ferries were tied up in port for a third day Friday after seamen extended a two-day strike for a further 48 hours, while farmers continued temporary highway blockages to protest the left-led government's planned pension reforms.
No ferries were running between islands and the mainland, while farmers blocked a road near Athens' international airport for about an hour. They also announced the closure of Greece's northern border crossing with Bulgaria to trucks, saying only private cars and buses would be allowed to cross.
Farmers have been blocking highways across the country for hours at a time to protest the reforms that are part of Greece's third international bailout.
The country's lenders are pressing Athens to overhaul its troubled pension system, hammered by high unemployment, an aging population and generous pre-crisis deals. But critics say the planned reforms will severely curtail income by drastically increasing pension contributions.
The planned reforms have been met with opposition from groups as disparate as seamen, lawyers, farmers, doctors, security service personnel, geologists, engineers, notaries public, fishermen and physiotherapists. A general strike is planned for Feb. 4.