Slovenian public-sector workers went on a general strike on Wednesday morning after the government announced its plan to cut public spending by 812 million euros this year, including salary cuts for public-sector workers.
According to the public-sector workers' union, over half of the 160,000 employees were on strike. Nearly 700 kindergartens, schools and educational institutions were closed, as were most museums, archives and libraries, while hospitals and public health institutions were operating according to the Sunday schedule. The doctors' union did not join in the strike.
Also striking were firefighters and customs officers, while the police union announced delays at border crossings because of detailed checks.
Negotiations between the government and the trade unions on the austerity package proposed by the government of Prime Minister Janez Jansa are due to resume this afternoon, but the chances of their success are slim.
