By Vittorio Hernandez

Athens, Greece

To show their disagreement with another round of austerity measures the Greek government put in place to avoid a default, Greek unions undertook a 48-hour strike.

The industrial action, expected to draw thousands of participants from the public and private sectors, could paralyze transportation and close offices and commercial establishments.

Ahead of the strike, thousands of Greeks who would be affected by the vote of the Greek parliament on belt-tightening initiatives gathered in Athens's Syntagma Square and in another Greek city, Thessaloniki.

Dubbed the "mother of all strikes," the mass action hopes to attract 100,000 protesters who insist the debt crisis is not their fault, but that of the rich, tax evaders and politicians who should be paying for the result of their action.

The strikers include air traffic controllers who plan to walk off their jobs for 12 hours, which has led to the cancelation of 150 domestic and international flights. Trains, buses, taxis and lorries are also not running.

The austerity measures are required by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union for Greece to qualify for another round of bailout and avoid a default. The debt crisis has affected not only the 17-member eurozone but is even threatening to create another global financial crisis just three years after one hit the international community in 2008.

World - Greece: 48-Hour Greek General Strike | Global Viewpoint