ATHENS (REUTERS) - Flights were grounded and ministries and schools were shut in Greece on Wednesday as civil servants and private sector workers went on a nationwide strike to protest EU-backed austerity measures.

The 24-hour walkout is the first joint strike called by public and private unions, representing half of Greece’s workforce of 5 million, since the Socialist government won elections in October.
Central Athens was covered on Wednesday in posters and flyers calling for Greeks to strike to the slogan “People and their needs above markets!” Some shops had their shutters down and the capital’s chaotic traffic was quieter than usual.
Greeks massed at bus stops downtown complained about the disruption to public transport. All but emergency flights to and from Greece were grounded and ferries were at a standstill.
The strike takes place during a visit by EU officials assessing whether Greece is on track to cut its double-digit deficit.
“The team of inspectors coming form the Commission, the ECB and the IMF ... will get a taste of the dynamic reaction of the Greek workers to the huge pressures from Brussels,” centre-left Eleftherotypia newspaper wrote in an editorial.
Under the scrutiny of EU policymakers and markets, the government has so far refused to give in to protesters’ demands. Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou said on Tuesday the government might decide on more measures to cut the deficit after talks with the visiting EU inspectors.