Greece back in crisis after TV shutdown

It's been trying to sell off assets for months.

But the government's decision to pull the plug on Greece's state broadcaster has provoked widespread anger.

And unions representing ERT's 2,600 workers are fighting back.

SOUNDBITE President of ERT Workers Union, Panagiotis Kalfayiannis, saying (Greek):

"This is an unconstituional and undemocratic global first - the government has no boundaries, they have decided to send all of Greece into poverty."

The government says it's not a move to muzzle the media and it will relaunch a slimmed down version of the channel by early autumn.

SOUNDBITE: Greek Government Spokesman, Simos Kedikoglou, saying (English):

"There was no other way, frankly because already in the past months most of the time ERT was not broadcasting, at least no news, ok? The journalists were striking because they wanted more special status without regarding what is happening generally in the Greek public sector."

Opposition parti