The Greek government shut down its television and radio broadcaster, leaving 2,900 employees idle and creating outrage among the country’s labor unions, reports The New York Times.

The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation was described as a "haven of waste" by a government spokesman. The network went off the air at 11 p.m. Tuesday local time and was slated to reopen after a reorganization with a fraction of its staff, the piece adds.

Journalists from the broadcaster were defiant, continuing to stream news through the night as protesters gathered outside its headquarters, reports Deadline.com.

Greece is in the middle of dealing with austerity measures taken in response to a debt crisis, and is seeking to cut 15,000 public sector jobs by the end of next year, Deadline adds.