ATHENS, Oct 7, 2008 (AFP) - Flights and rail links in Greece will be disrupted Wednesday by a 24-hour strike called by unions against an ongoing privatisation drive by the conservative government.

National carrier Olympic Airlines, which is itself a privatisation target, said it would cancel 50 domestic and foreign return flights, including 11 to European destinations.

Some domestic flights of Greece's second largest carrier Aegean Airlines will also be affected as civil aviation staff are joining the strike, the company said.

Greece's main union, the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), says it called the strike to fend off privatisation plans for a number of state-run companies including Olympic Airlines, the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE), the container terminals of Piraeus and Salonika and some regional airports.

The strike will also paralyse inter-city rail transport and the Athens metro and lead to two three-hour stoppages on Athens buses.

The Greek conservative government has spent years trying to restructure loss-making state companies such as Olympic Airlines.

A key priority is to find a private investor for the carrier which has been ordered by the European Union to repay millions of euros of illegal state aid.

The government in May also closed a deal with German telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom for joint management of the Hellenic Telecommunication Organisation, the country's main operator.