Greece resumes talks with creditors as strikes planned
The so-called troika of lenders has returned to Athens for its latest audit of the Greek economy.
The visit will determine whether twice bailed-out Greece will get its latest instalment of cash. Representatives from the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank will take stock of how effective tough austerity measures have been. Fresh strikes are planned by public sector workers in response. 'Struggle' Sunday's talks will decide on the continued conditions for Greece's financial aid, and a 1bn euro (£844m) instalment which Greece expected to get in October. The EU is calling for the liquidation of Greece's defence industry, a further reduction in civil servant posts, and the health of the key privatisation programme. The main public sector union Adedy said that it would carry out a two day strike on Tuesday and Wednesday, while other unions are following suit. "We will continue our struggle against the destructive policies of the government and the troika," Adedy said in a statement. This latest round of protests against austerity comes days after the Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said his country's economy is heading "slowly towards recovery" after it saw growth in the second quarter of the year. Mr Stournaras said available evidence suggested Greece will see quarter-on-quarter growth for the first time since its economic crisis began. Greece also reported slightly improved jobless figures for the summer period, as tourism saw a modest boost compared to the year before.