GREECE’S PRIME MINISTER George Papandreou has called on his political opponents and the Greek public to unite and support the raft of highly unpopular austerity measures the country is under international pressure to pass this week.

However, opposition to the austerity measures has sparked a range of protests in Greece and a 48-hour general strike began this morning.

The two-day strike includes healthcare workers, casinos, transport workers and air traffic controllers, meaning major travel disruptions. The air traffic controllers are staging a four-hour walk-out this morning, with a second planned for this evening.

Ryanair posted a message online this morning saying that a number of its Greek flights have been cancelled. Passengers who were booked to travel on those flights can rebook free of charge or apply for a refund. The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) said that the strike is not having any knock-on effect on services from the airport.

Over 5,000 police officers have been brought into Athens’ city centre as thousands of protesters hold a rally outside the parliament. Further rallies are expected later today.

The Greek parliament is due to vote on the measures tomorrow and Thursday, which, if passed, would cut €28bn from the country’s budget over the coming five years as well as introducing tax for minimum wage earners. Unemployment in Greece has risen over 16 per cent.

Greece has been warned by its international creditors and other EU leaders that it must pass these austerity measures before being granted the next part of its €110bn bailout package, which it needs in order to make loan repayments next month. Yesterday, France’s Nicolas Sarkozy said that French banks are prepared to roll-over Greek debt.

- Additional reporting by the AP