Gridlock in Athens as transport staff strike over pension reforms

Traffic was gridlocked in parts of Athens on Tuesday as transport workers joined a strike over planned pension reforms, while thousands marched peacefully through the city center demanding the draft law be scrapped.
With the subway, trains and public buses at a standstill, many commuters were forced to drive to work, leaving major traffic arteries into the sprawling city of almost four million blocked. Passenger ships remained docked at ports.
The one-day stoppage was convened by public sectors unions who are concerned the reforms will mean more cuts to pensions that have been progressively whittled away since Greece took its first financial bailout in 2010.
Marchers rallied outside parliament later on Tuesday, a day before a scheduled debate on the bill submitted by the conservative government that took office in July.
"It's been chop job after chop job in the...