Athens  - Rioting abated in cities across Greece early Wednesday as the country braced for strikes.

According to state radio, Tuesday night was the most quiet since the outbreak of the unrest after a fatal police shooting of a teenager on Saturday.

"We had no incidents since 2 am," police said.

The situation also calmed down in the northern city Thessaloniki and the port town Patras, that had been heavily affected by the rioting.

Greece's two largest unions were going ahead with planned 24-hour strikes Wednesday to protest the government's austere economic policies.

Traffic across the country was grinding to a halt, and there were no flights in or out of the country until midnight. However, there were no stranded travelers as airlines refused to take bookings for days and informed their clients about the situation, news reports said.

Schools and ministries are closed, while hotels and taxis were still operating.

The unions are protesting the government's recent pension reforms, which raise the retirement age and cut back benefits. The unions also oppose recent labour reforms, privatizations and tax collecting measures.

Owing to the tense situation, the unions, however, decided to limit their rallies to certain locations and cancelled plans for demonstrating in Athens' streets, Greek state radio said. (dpa)