THOUSANDS of workers marched through Athens today during a 24-hour general strike called by Greek unions in protest against the rising cost of living.

In an action timed to coincide with the government submitting the 2025 budget to parliament, workers in both the public and private sectors joined the strike, which disrupted public transport and halted ferry service between the Greek islands and the mainland.

Medical staff at state-run hospitals and teachers were among those who joined the action, which also pressed a demand for the reinstatement of collective wage agreements that were scaled back during Greece’s financial crisis — which began in 2010.