A group of about 150 unionists blocked the entrance to the Athens stock exchange on Tuesday but bourse officials said they expected trade to go ahead normally.

“There is a back-up capacity, an alternative mechanism that enables electronic trading to go ahead normally,” Athens stock exchange Vice-Chairman Socrates Lazaridis told Reuters.

“Already 101 terminals have logged to the trading system,” he said.

Trading normally begins at 0830 GMT. Greek communist workers’ group PAME was protesting outside the Hellenic Exchanges building, blocking its two entrances.