Tens of thousands of Greek workers began a 48-hour strike on Tuesday, Nov 6 to protest a new round of austerity cuts that unions say will devastate the poor and drive a failing economy to collapse, Reuters reported.

The strike was called by Greece's two biggest labor organizations and is the third in two months against spending cuts and reforms that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras wants parliament to approve on Wednesday to unlock international aid.

Transport was severely disrupted across the country and schools, banks and local government offices were shut. Hospitals were working on emergency staffing.

The government has implored Greeks to endure the cuts to avoid national bankruptcy but a quarter of the nation is jobless, poverty and suicide levels are soaring and many feel angry with the political class.

Athens needs parliamentary approval for the package - which includes slashing pensions by as much as a quarter and scrapping holiday bonuses - to ensure its European Union and International Monetary Fund lenders release more than 31 billion euros ($40 billion) of aid, much of it aimed at shoring up banks.

The strike coincides with the vote in parliament on Wednesday when the government is expected to just about win backing for austerity cuts and labor reforms that the smallest party in Samaras's coalition has refused to back.