Water company workers lead Greek protests

An elderly man participates in a protest outside the Greek Parliament in Athens, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016. Greek labor unions are organizing strikes and protests against a plan to place major state assets under the control of a new privatization fund that will be headed by bailout creditors. The fund called the Hellenic Company of Assets and Participations will take control of public utilities and other assets for 99 years if parliament approves draft legislation late Tuesday. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (The Associated Press)

Workers shout slogans during a protest outside the Greek Parliament in Athens, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016. Greek labor unions are organizing strikes and protests against a plan to place major state assets under the control of a new privatization fund that will be headed by bailout creditors. The fund called the Hellenic Company of Assets and Participations will take control of public utilities and other assets for 99 years if parliament approves draft legislation late Tuesday. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (The Associated Press)

Unionists shout slogans during a protest outside the Greek Parliament in Athens, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016. Greek labor unions are organizing strikes and protests against a plan to place major state assets under the control of a new privatization fund that will be headed by bailout creditors. The fund called the Hellenic Company of Assets and Participations will take control of public utilities and other assets for 99 years if parliament approves draft legislation late Tuesday. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris) (The Associated Press)

Workers from a state-run water company are blocking traffic outside Greece's parliament as lawmakers prepare to vote on a proposal to move control of public utilities to a new asset fund created by international bailout creditors.

Several hundred protesters chanted "next you'll sell the Acropolis" during a peaceful rally ahead of the vote late Tuesday.

Creditors argue that placing Greek state assets under a single fund will allow faster privatization and debt repayment, even though Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' left-wing government has vowed to keep major utilities under public control.

Tsipras' government has to fulfill the demand before receiving additional rescue loan payouts from other eurozone countries.