Transport strike brings Greece to a halt

ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Greece's air, rail and urban transport came to a grinding halt Wednesday as the country's biggest labor union staged a 24-hour nationwide strike in protest of the government's plan to sell off the state's ailing carrier Olympic Airlines.

At least 50 domestic and international flights were canceled by the troubled state airline, operating only one flight per destination and leaving hundreds of travelers stranded at Greece's main international airport in Athens.

Public transport -- including the Athens metro, state railway services and city buses -- also came to a standstill, forcing thousands of commuters to drive to work and causing major traffic problems in central Athens.

Employees at the partially privatized telephone company OTE and state-run public power company PPC joined the protest action as state hospitals, also, operated with emergency skeleton staff.

The strike was staged by the General Confederation of Greek Workers, known by its Greek acronym GSEE, which represents about 2 million workers.

The 24-hour job walkout followed the government's announcement last month to shut down and sell off Olympic Airlines despite pledges to compensate workers or find them new public sector jobs.

"We want an end to these privatizations," GSEE vice president Alekos Kalivis told reporters ahead of a massive rally in downtown Athens. "These moves are neither smart, nor are they reforms."

Greece's reform-minded government has vowed to privatize Olympic Airlines by April.

Wednesday's nationwide strike is the latest show of swelling labor unrest over unpopular reforms and tax measures unveiled by the center-right government since its re-election last year.