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A strike fever gripped Greece a day before the general strike organized by the major trade unions GSEE and ADEDY.

All newscasts and information broadcasts on Greek television and radio stations have fallen into silence until 6 am on Thursday due to the journalists' strike. Today they held a protest procession from the building of the Journalists' Union in Athens to the Ministry of Employment. Media representatives are protesting against the new austerity measures that are expected to be voted on soon. According to some sources, the vote in parliament will take place next week, on 25 October.

The trade union of journalists has announced a 4-hour work stoppage from 11 am to 4 pm tomorrow. This means that they will be allowed to cover only the strike and the protest procession.

Earlier today, the general scientific front, which representatives of highly qualified professions had established on Monday, held a protest procession. Engineers, lawyers, physicians, notaries gathered in front of the Athens Bar Association and the procession set off to the Ministry of Finance.

Their union representatives demanded a meeting with Minister Yiannis Stournaras, but there was no response to their request. There were two police buses in front of the ministry and members of the riot forces were guarding the street and the entrance of the institution.

"The Troika - out of Greece," read a poster that three young lawyers were holding. Under the slogan was written that it was made by the "Plenum of chairmen of Bar Associations in Greece."  

Physicians in hospitals have announced a 48-hour strike. The people working in the National Health System, health centres, chronic diseases treatment centres, social services, employees in the first aid as well as dentists across the country will be on strike tomorrow as well.

By decision of the Greek confederation of trade, commercial sites will not work tomorrow either. Owners of kiosks selling tobacco and newspapers will participate in the strike too.

The protest meeting of the trade unions GSEE and ADEDY will start at 11 am in the square in front of the Pedio tou Areos park. The supporters of the Communist trade union PAME will gather on Omonia Square at 10:30 am.

Public transport employees will participate in the protests too. The workers in the underground, the electric train and the tram transport have announced that they will start work at 9 am.

The employed in the railways and the trolleybus transport will not work. The route from the underground station "Doukisis Plakentias" to the airport will not operate because of the strike.

Buses will run from 9 am to 9 pm. Taxis will not work from 8 am to 5 pm.

From 10 am to 1 pm, there will be no flights to and from Athens airport because of the strike of air traffic controllers. Ships will also stay at the ports.