Ilias Iliopoulos, secretary-general of Adedy public sector union, said the strike was an attempt to "get rid of the bailout deal".

BBC: Greeks in fresh general strike against austerity

As MPs debated the measures inside parliament, several hundred demonstrators outside took part in a protest called by Adedy, the civil service trade confederation, and the private sector GSEE union.

BBC: Greek parliament approves 15,000 civil service job cuts

The nationwide strike, called by private-sector umbrella union GSEE and its public-sector counterpart, Adedy, paralyzed public services, shutting central and local government offices, courts, tax offices, state-controlled banks, schools and universities countrywide, while hospitals were operating on skeleton staff.

WSJ: General Strike Hits Greece