Athens, 5 October 2022 (MIA) — Greece’s retired citizens staged protests in the center of Athens over pensions and the cost of living. Their demands include higher monthly retirement checks, a 13th pension payment, and lower taxes on basic foods, according to MIA’s Athens correspondent. Retirees marched Wednesday from the Greek Parliament to the Prime Minister’s residence, where their representatives were scheduled to meet with government officials. Some pensioners told MIA's correspondent their retirement checks were so low they could barely make it to the end of the month. “We're starving. That's why we’re here. As a former bus driver, I have traveled thousands of kilometers but now I can't afford a ticket,” one senior citizen said. A retired woman who used to work for the Greek postal service said retirees felt cheated by the government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who had promised to increase pensions but did not fully deliver. “We have to send a strong message to the government,” she said. “We are here and we demand that all pensions be paid immediately, that there be real increases, that they bring back the 13th pension as well as all tax cuts. We have to react. Our living conditions are going from bad to worse.” mr/