GREECE ground to a halt today after public transport was disrupted and ports shut down as workers staged a 24-hour stoppage against the Syriza government’s austerity measures.

The strike was called by the country’s largest private-sector union, the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), demanding tax cuts and a rise in the minimum wage, which was slashed by as much as 32 per cent under the country’s harsh and punitive bailout conditions.

Unions are also demanding the reinstatement of collective bargaining, which was stopped by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the behest of the European Union (EU), World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).