ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Brief scuffles broke out between demonstrators and Greek police in central Athens during a protest by teachers and students demanding more hiring of teachers for state schools and universities.

Toward the end of Friday's protest march by hundreds of demonstrators, police fired tear gas to push back dozens of protesters trying to break through a police cordon preventing them from reaching the prime minister's office.

The secondary school teachers' union had called for the protest and accompanying daylong strike to call for the "immediate mass hiring of permanent teachers."

Financially stricken Greece has been relying on funds from three international bailouts since 2010. In return for the funds, the country has had to impose strict austerity measures, including spending and hiring cuts in all sectors.