Thousands of Greeks protest over right to strike, hitting hospitals, transport and shipping

Thousands of Greek protesters marched in central Athens on Friday against new reforms, including restrictions on the right to strike, that Parliament is set to approve next week in return for bailout funds.

In the first major industrial upheaval of 2018, the shutdown of the Athens metro, used by some 938,000 commuters daily, caused traffic gridlock in the city of 3.8 million people.

Ships were unable to sail as workers went on strike and state-run hospitals had to rely on reserve staff as doctors walked off the job. More work stoppages were expected on Monday.

The bill pending Parliament approval on Monday would restructure family benefits, introduce a new process for foreclosures on overdue loans, and make it harder to call a strike.

"Hands off strikes!" protesters with Communist-affiliated group PAME chanted during a march of about 20,000 people,...