Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

A woman chants slogans outside the Finance Ministry in Athens, on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012. Disabled groups are angry at likely benefit cuts under a major new austerity program demanded by international rescue creditors. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greece's largest labour unions have called a general strike for Sept. 26 in response to a new government austerity package that is expected to worsen hardship in the recession-hit country.

The date of the 24-hour strike was decided Thursday, a General Confederation of Greek Labor spokeswoman said, adding that the strike would be joined by a civil servants' union.

Rescue creditors are demanding that Greece's conservative-led government slashes a further $14.8 billion in budget costs over the next two years, resulting in a new round of wage and pension cuts, if the country is to continue getting vital bailout loans.

The austerity measures already imposed as part of this bailout deal have held back growth, pushing the country into a three-year recession. Government figures released Thursday reveal unemployment in Greece has risen further to 23.6 per cent in the second quarter of 2012, up from 16.3 per cent the previous year.