UNIONS ACT TO SUPPORT GREEK H1N1 BOND OFFERING

BANZAI7 NEWS--Greece's main private and public sector labour unions called a 3-hour work stoppage for Friday, as a show of strong support for new austerity measures designed to stem a debt crisis that has shaken the euro zone.

About 70 communist trade unionists occupied the finance ministry on Thursday, preventing workers from entering the building, police said, in the latest action in support of pay cuts and a pensions freeze ordered by the Socialist government.

The two main unions, which represent 2.5 million workers or half of Greece's workforce, say extra public sector wage cuts and tax hikes announced on Wednesday to tackle a 300 billion euro ($410 billion) debt mountain are a good reason why all working class Greeks should invest in the much-awaited H1N1 (PIIG) bond issue intended to raise €3 billion and €5 billion ($4.11 billion to $6.85 billion.