Making Greece attractive to foreign capital

Protesters clash with riot police outside the parliament building during a demonstration against planned government reforms that will restrict workers right to strike in Athens, Greece, January 15, 2018. REUTERS/Costas Baltas

Reuters reported recently about protests in Greece against "reforms" demanded by the Troika of the European Commission, the European Central Bank, and the IMF:

"Greece’s parliament on Monday [January 15] passed a swathe of reforms demanded by international lenders in exchange for fresh bailout funds, a success for the government but a blow to thousands of people protesting outside.
The bill introduces a new electronic process for foreclosures on overdue loans and arrears to the state, opens up closed professions, restructures family benefits and makes it harder to call a strike.
About 20,000 people rallied outside parliament during the vote. Bus, subway and city rail services were disrupted and some flights were grounded as workers went on strike to protest against the bill."

My sister Barbara, who lives in Greece, commented in a letter to me:

"The consequences will be felt in the course of this year for many people in benefits, by auctions of houses, privatizations, restrictions on the right to strike, etc. The slogan of the government is: "just development ", which refers to making Greece attractive to foreign capital, the sale of ports, airports, railways, electricity, water, etc. while the population is kept alive by occasionally giving them some extra money in the form of a one-off benefit, alms, as it is called, but on the other hand to limit wages and benefits. And the brain drain still goes on ...."