A Year After Bailout, Greece Is Still Hurting

Konstantinos Sourmelis, a 56-year-old technician for OSE, Greece's state-owned railway, marched to central Athens on Wednesday to send parliament a simple message: Stop selling out the country. Like the thousands of other demonstrators who protested in the country's latest general strike, Sourmelis accuses the government of scapegoating OSE and public utilities as part of its proposed privatization plan, the next in a string of attempts to raise the billions that Greece owes foreign creditors. "In the long run, it's going to hurt workers," says Sourmelis, who makes about $2,000 a month and is worried about losing his job. "I don't see the austerity measures working, so what difference will it make if we sell off our assets? Won't we just be giving away our autonomy for nothing?"

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2070941,00.html#ixzz1M8IZkW5t