Athens,april 29 :Greek lawmakers have passed a bill that will clear the way for 15,000 civil servants to be fired by the end of the next year to secure another 8.8 billion euros ($11.5 billion) in bailout funds. The Greek parliament approved the bill by 168 votes to 123 on Sunday. As legislators debated the measures inside parliament, several hundred demonstrators vociferously opposed the bill outside the parliament. They took part in a protest called by the civil service trade confederation, Adedy, and the private sector GSEE union. They were demonstrating against what the unions called “those politicians who are dismantling the public service and destroying the welfare state.” Critics say the law, which is part of a larger package of measures, will only add to Greece’s record unemployment rate of 27 percent. They say many of those who will lose their jobs are older workers already struggling to support their families and make ends meet. Under the new law, some 2,000 civil servants will lose their jobs by the end of June, another 2,000 by the end of the year, and a further 11,000 by the end of 2014. Greece t would see 150,000 state jobs go by the end of 2015. Eurozone finance ministers are expected to meet on May 16 Monday to decide on the next installment of aid for the cash-strapped Greek government. Greece has already received about 200 billion euros from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund since mid-2010. The European country has been at the epicenter of the eurozone debt crisis and is experiencing its sixth year of recession, while harsh austerity measures have left tens of thousands of people without jobs. Many Greek workers are currently unemployed, banks are in a shaky position, and pensions and salaries have been slashed. Greek youths have also been badly affected, and more than half of them are unemployed. (Courtsey: Ganashakti)