Public Power Corporation (PPC) announced they were launching rolling 48-hour strikes as of midnight Sunday, after talks between the workers' union GENOP and new finance minister Evangelos Venizelos on Saturday night and with new environment and energy minister George Papaconstantinou -- Venizelos' predecessor in the finance ministry -- on Sunday morning.

GENOP is demanding withdrawal of a provision in the government's Medium-Term fiscal program for further denationalisation of the PPC.

Although the meetings were held in a "good climate", there was no progress in the direction of meeting the trade unionists' demand, a GENOP announcement said.