Athens ( CNN ) -- German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is visiting Athens on Thursday for the first time since Greece received its first bailout three years ago , hours after the Greek parliament voted through a bill paving the way for thousands of public sector jobs to be cut . His visit also comes a day ahead of a European Union deadline for Greece to meet targets before it gets its next round of bailout money . Germany , seen as the driving force behind international creditors ' insistence on austerity and reforms , has been the focus of much anger among Greeks suffering as a result of the country 's debt crisis . Newspaper headlines Thursday reflect that sentiment . The newspaper Avgi says `` Ave Schaeuble , those about to die salute you , '' a reference to a phrase attributed to Roman gladiators as they greeted their emperor . A headline in another paper , To Pontiki , refers to `` the exterminator '' and shows Schaeuble about to run over civil servants on a rail track . While in Greece , Schaeuble has meetings scheduled with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras . The measures that were voted through early Thursday had to be approved in order for Greece to receive the latest 6.8 billion-euro slice of international bailout funds -- needed to keep the country afloat . The bill scraped through , with just 153 lawmakers out of the 293 present in the 300-seat parliament voting in favor . There were protesters outside the parliament building late into the night while the vote was taking place . Greek police banned public gatherings and marches in much of central Athens from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday for security reasons , applying similar restrictions to those imposed during a visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in October . But Greece 's main opposition party , the Coalition of the Radical Left , Syriza , issued a statement calling for a rally Thursday evening `` against the architect of the bailout austerity policies '' at a square near parliament . In its statement , Syriza said that `` if the government is not hesitant about issuing dictatorial decisions banning gatherings , then the people must show that they have no fear for them . '' 'Better days will come ' Under the new legislation , 4,000 civil servants , including teachers , could be out of work this year . Another 25,000 will be on a `` mobility scheme '' by the end of the year . This will allow them an eight-month period to look for re-employment while receiving 75 % of their salary . If by the end of that period they have not found work in a different department , they could lose their job . A total of 15,000 are expected to be out of work by the end of 2014 to comply with the requirements of Greece 's lenders , the International Monetary Fund , European Union and European Central Bank , which are asking for a slimming down of Greece 's inflated public sector . But for ordinary Greeks , who are facing unprecedented unemployment raging above 27 % , the fear is that if they lose their job , they will not be able to find another in the Greek market . Only hours before the vote , Samaras announced Greece 's first tax cut since the crisis began nearly four years ago . He said Greece `` will not relax '' in its efforts , adding , `` We will continue climbing up the hill , we will reach the top , which is not far , and better days will come for our people . '' The cut in the value-added tax in the food service sector , from 23 % to 13 % , had been an issue in negotiations with Greece 's lenders for months . The timing of the announcement could be seen as a signal of the government 's willingness to boost the private sector , while downsizing the bloated public service . Many Greeks believe the private sector has suffered a disproportionate amount during the crisis in order not to shed public sector jobs . On Tuesday , Greek unions called the country 's fourth general strike of the year so far , bringing many public services to a halt . At least 16,000 protesters joined a peaceful march and protest held to coincide with the strike , Athens police said . Greece , the first country to receive a European Union bailout , in May 2010 , is struggling to bring its huge public debt under control . The country is in its sixth straight year of recession , and unemployment stood at 26.8 % as of March of this year , according to official figures . The jobless rate among young people in Greece has soared to nearly 60 % . Journalist Elinda Labropoulou reported in Athens , and CNN 's Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London .
NEW : Security is high during Wolfgang Schaeuble 's visit , but opposition party calls for a rally . Schaeuble is meeting with Greece 's prime minister and finance minister . Parliament OKs measures to pave the way for 4,000 civil servants to lose their jobs . Comment: