Video

Dozens of protesters clashed with riot police outside Greece's parliament on Thursday ( March 20) as a controversial pension reform bill opposed by unions was being voted on. Dozens of protesters clashed with riot police outside Greece' s parliament, with authorities using tear gas to disperse masked youths who threw rocks and masonry at them. Bystanders ran for cover as acrid smoke from tear gas and rubbish bins that had earlier been set alight by protesters covered central Athens streets around parliament. Groups of protesters repeatedly threw stones and masonry at riot police, who responded with tear gas. Earlier, workers from one of Greece's largest unions, the General Confederation of Greek Workers, joined hundreds of other peaceful protesters gathered outside the parliament buildings as the pension reform bill was being voted on inside. The protesters, many holding banners with slogans against the reforms and others with lit candles, claim the pension reform bill will harm their existing rights and mean that many people, including working mothers, will have to work longer before retiring and get lower overall pensions. Strikes by unions in the last days and weeks have shut down public transport, public services and caused power cuts and garbage pileups in the city. Greek parliament votes late on Thursday on the conservative government's pension reforms amid ongoing protests and strikes from unions and opposition parties saying the bill curtails benefits. The conservative government has dismissed the mounting wave of public reaction, insisting it was necessary to overhaul a social security system which experts say is destined to collapse in 15 years if left unchanged. Labour unions got unexpected backing from the European Central Bank, which criticised the bill on Wednesday, saying it threatens the Greek central bank's independence. The government rejected the criticism, saying it would not adjust it. Opposition parties also tried to block the bill hours before it goes to a vote by gathering signatures to force a referendum. According to Greece's constitution, if 120 deputies in the 300-seat house demand a referendum, the bill could be blocked even after it is voted in. The leftist party and the main opposition PASOK socialists have 116 deputies but other parties may also join in. The government, re-elected in September on pledges not to curtail pension rights, needs the backing of all its 151 deputies to pass the bill. So far there has been no dissent. Unions accuse Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis of not keeping his word and slam the planned reforms for limiting benefits without improving the system. The reform bill affects mostly women, and especially working mothers. It merges scores of funds into just 13, cuts many special pensions and offers incentives to work more years. Greece, one of several European Union countries facing a pension crisis due to an ageing population, has been urged by Brussels to revamp a fragmented, wasteful and mismanaged social security system. Experts say that if the Greek system is left unchanged, the pension funds' actuarial deficits could reach 400 billion euros ($611.6 billion), almost twice the country's GDP.