Demonstrators today encircled the Greek parliament in Athens in an attempt to stop MPs voting on even deeper austerity measures for the debt-ridden country.
They were involved in a tense stand-off with riot police in Constitution Square as a 24-hour strike began.
The walkouts left hospitals running on emergency staff, disrupted transport and forced radio and TV news shows off the air.
Prime minister George Papandreou was attempting to push through the measures which will include higher taxes and wider spending cuts.
The government needs to pass a new 2012-2015 austerity programme worth more than £20 billion this month or face being cut off from continued funding of rescue loans from European countries and the International Monetary Fund.
"They keep asking us to give more," said Ilias Iliopoulos, general secretary of the civil servants' union ADEDY. "Now, again, they will cut our salaries and bonuses, from the little that we have left."
Some government MPs have attacked the new cuts and one defected yesterday, reducing Mr Papandreou's majority to just five in the
300-seat legislature.
Another has said he will vote against the government and opposition will not side with the ruling party.
But the government claims the cuts are vital if Greece is not to slide even deeper into the red.
Government spokesman George Petalotis said: "We are fighting the battle to serve the common good, in the most crucial moment in the country's modern democracy."
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