Protesters block entrance to social security fund EFKA

Protesters from two workers’ unions barred the entrance to the new EFKA social security fund in downtown Athens on Tuesday morning.

The unionists hung banners from the entrance on the Aghiou Constantinou Street building near Omonia Square and prevented employees from entering, in protest at recent controversial changes to the social security system.

The head of the IKA-ETAM union, Evangelos Theodoridis, told the ANA-MPA news agency that this was the first of a series of actions planned to express opposition to the new body, which has merged most of the country’s social security funds under one umbrella.

“We want to send a cry of agony over the fate of our social security system, as EFKA has already created administrative chaos and while the new super-fund was supposed to solve problems, it has already created much larger ones,” he said.

The unionists said they plan to remain at the building for a few more hours.