Greek Public Sector Union ADEDY Calls Nationwide Strike on December 16 Over Budget and Farmer Solidarity

Nationwide Public Sector Strike Announced

Greece's Civil Servants' Confederation (ADEDY) has called for a 24-hour nationwide public sector strike on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. The strike is intended to protest the government's proposed new budget and to show solidarity with the country's ongoing farmer protests. Widespread participation is anticipated across various public sector workers, including municipal employees and educators.

The decision for the strike was made during the 39th ADEDY Congress. Rallies are planned in major cities, with a significant demonstration expected at Syntagma Square in Athens at 11:00 a.m.

Criticism of Government Budget and Demands

ADEDY has strongly criticized the government's 2026 budget, which is currently being debated and is scheduled for a vote around the time of the strike. The confederation has labeled it a 'budget of war and exploitation of the working majority' and an 'anti-people budget of taxation and war.'

The union's demands include:

• Fair salary increases
• Mass hiring of permanent staff
• Adequate funding for municipalities
• Preservation of public social services
• Repeal of the Voridis provision
• Permanent contracts for temporary workers
• Measures to combat inflation and financial hardship

The Panhellenic Federation of Local Government Employees (POE-OTA) has also urged its members to participate, criticizing the government's borrowing policies as temporary solutions that burden citizens with higher municipal fees without improving public services. They also highlighted concerns over the outsourcing of essential services to private contractors.

Solidarity with Farmer Protests

A key aspect of the strike is ADEDY's full solidarity with the ongoing farmer protests that have been escalating across Greece for several weeks. These farmer demonstrations have involved extensive blockades of national highways, border crossings, ports (such as Thessaloniki and Volos), and even airports (including Heraklion and Chania in Crete).

Farmers are protesting against several issues, including:

• Delays in EU subsidy payments, exacerbated by a corruption scandal involving the agricultural payments agency (OPEKEPE)
• High production costs
• Low wholesale prices for their goods
• Insufficient state support

While Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has expressed openness to dialogue, he has maintained that talks can only occur 'with the roads open and not blocked.' The government has acknowledged payment delays and committed to disbursing substantial funds, totaling 3.8 billion euros for 2025, by the end of December. However, farmers have thus far rejected initial invitations for talks, insisting that their demands be met as a precondition for negotiations.

Anticipated Impact

The nationwide public sector strike is expected to cause significant disruptions across Greece. Public transport services are likely to be affected, and various public services will experience interruptions. The convergence of public sector and farmer protests underscores a period of heightened social and economic tension in the country.