The threat of escalating mass actions looms as more Greek workers are joining work stoppages to declare their vehement objection against the 6.6 billion euro austerity plan of Prime Minister George Papandreou.

Government officials have explained that the austerity measures are needed to so it can be eligible for another payment under the bail-out scheme being negotiated with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.

The five-year plan was modified to make available additional funds that can be generated through tax increases.

Said plan entails reducing 14.32 billion euro worth of public spending and at the same time raising 14.09 billion euro in taxes during the next five years, according to reports.

However, Greek citizens resisted appeals from government for unity in the midst of the campaign to prevent a default.

A report from Bloomberg said that hundreds of thousands of Greek workers walked out from their jobs in schools, factories, airports, hospitals and even the Acropolis to dispute the government's decision.

ADEDY, the biggest confederation of civil servants in the country which is composed of more than 400, 000 government workers, called for the mass walkout and a march to parliament to object to the plan of putting some 30, 000 state workers on labor reserve, a reduction in salaries, increase in property taxes and other proposed cuts in pensions and wages.

The government is still locked in negotiations for the supposed financial aids and loans that Greece needs to solve its rising debt problems.

Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos has already mentioned in a statement that the nation is so dependent on the financial assistance from its institutional partners.

The unemployment rate is getting higher and the state, which employs approximately 750,000 workers, has an existing debt burden that is expected to reach 356.5 billion euro by the end of the year. This is the equivalent of 161.8 percent of the gross domestic product, which is the highest in the EU, and three times more than that of Poland.

The strike has caused a lot of problems by now forcing cancellation of flights at the Athens International Airport and closed educational institutions after an announcement was made that euro area finance ministers would put off the release of the next installment of the 8 billion euro loan approved in May 2010 until after October 13.

The scope of the strikes might cause a negative effect to the economy arising from possible moves by investors, according to comments made by foreign economic observers.