ATHENS, July 16 (AFP) - Most national papers will be missing from Greek newsstands over the weekend and the country's TV and radio stations will have no news bulletins due to a two-day strike by journalists, union officials said on Friday.
The country's largest journalists' union in Greece, ESIEA, is calling for a 48-hour strike from Friday to midday on Sunday, in support of demands for higher salaries and a new collective agreement with employers.
National newspapers will be missing from the stands both Saturday and Sunday, while public and private radio and TV channels were expected to go without news broadcasts from Friday morning to Sunday morning.
News and photo agencies, including the national ANA press agency, were also taking part in the strike.
The decision to call a strike followed on from a warning action held by the ESIEA and six other unions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Journalists were asking for wage increases well above the 5.11 percent being offered by employers, as well as improvements in working conditions and new collective bargaining agreements.
The strike is set to be the largest in the Greek media sector since 1975, according to Manolis Mathioudakis, the president of the ESIEA.