A wave of strikes saw thousands of public sector workers take to the streets yesterday as Greece's beleaguered government faced demands for pay increases.

Doctors, teachers, professors, judges and police officers stayed away from work while travellers at Athens' international airport were handed leaflets by coastguards, police officers and firefighters demanding "hazard pay".

Taxi drivers also begin a 48-hour strike tomorrow to protest against government demands that they distribute printed receipts ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Greece's powerful trade unions normally have good relations with the ruling Socialists, but ties have soured amid widespread calls for pay increases.

With general elections due next spring, and the governing Pasok party trailing in the polls, the prime minister, Costas Simitis, unexpectedly announced increases for low-income groups, including clergymen, last month.

But he ruled out rises for "privileged" professionals, saying "there is simply no more to give" as a result of hosting the Olympics. The games are expected to expand the Greek economy by 4.2% over the next year.

But Greeks, among the lowest income earners in the EU, say their purchasing power has dropped by around 25% since the introduction of the euro last year. Helena Smith, Athens