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Athens, Greece (CNN) -- Greek workers were holding a one-day strike Wednesday to protest government efforts to stave off a financial crisis.Thousands of public-sector workers and their supporters began the 24-hour walkout at 9 a.m. (2 a.m. ET), though local media said workers at Athens' main international airport began their strike at midnight.Government offices, courts and schools were closed, though public transportation largely continued to operate.The umbrella civil servants trade union ADEDY, which called the strike, said most of its 500,000 workers were on strike, though that number could not be confirmed. When strikes are called in Greece, non-union members often will join those on the picket lines.

The minimum wage system was introduced to the Korean labour market in 1988 as a buffer against income gaps. However it has not performed well as a buffer since the legal amount is set too low. Furthermore, it often served employers' interest to fix low wages. Its negative impact became even more obvious when the IMF crisis hit South Korea in 1997 and led to a rapid increase in the number of sub-contracted workers.

In 2001, the KWWAU conducted a nation-wide campaign to raise the minimum wage by making recommendations to the South Korean government and prosecuting the businesses that violated the minimum wage system.  The KWWAU conducted a survey on the condition of 528 subcontracted women working as cleaners in 107 companies in nine cities.  Through the survey, it emerged that 23% of the workers surveyed received less than the minimum wage (421,490 KRW /$409 US per month).