The GSEE, Greece's largest labour union with 600,000 members, issued a statement protesting against the conservatives' economic and social policies, citing "lay-offs, rising unemployment, choking taxation... privatisations, attacks on social benefits and the destruction of the environment".
The protesters, carrying signs saying "the government and the banks sell off the country", rallied at the Thessaloniki international fair which Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis opened Saturday morning, an event held every September.
On Thursday Karamanlis called early legislative elections on October 4, ending weeks of speculation about the future of his hard-pressed government as Greece faces tough economic times.
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