Greek strikes end
Six days after it began, the strike by truck drivers in Greece that has brought the country almost to a grinding halt has been called off as the protestors agreed to enter into talks with the government. In recent days, the protest has turned ugly, with some truck drivers clashing with police who were brought in to try and control the situation, protecting the workers who chose to continue with their jobs from the strikers. The government was forced to recruit military vehicles to supply desperately needed fuel to airports, hospitals and power stations, which were in turn escorted by police vehicles. The walkout by the truck drivers has had a severe effect on tourism, at a time when the country desperately needs the revenue the sector brings in. The entire industry, from hotel owners to car rental companies, has felt the effects of the industrial action, either through completely cancelled bookings, or assurances from holidaymakers that they would not be returning to Greece again any time soon. On the popular island of Crete and in northern Chalkidiki, there were estimated to be around 100,000 tourists stranded with no fuel, with some taking the initiative and abandoning their cars by the side of the road having run out of fuel and walking to their destination. Vassilis Korkidis, president of the Greek trade association, said: “The period to 15 August is the heart of the tourism season and an entire week has now been lost.” Air traffic controllers in Greece remain ‘working to rule’, meaning that many flights into the country are either delayed or cancelled. The truck drivers took action at the decision by the government to open up their industry by making provisions for access to cheaper operating licenses, with the truckers arguing that it is not fair as existing operators have had to pay start-up fees of around €300,000. By having such a tightly controlled industry, though, the freight sector has in actual fact worsened the economic situation by ensuring that travel costs remain very high. The poor competitive nature of the Greek economy was one of the aspects most heavily criticised by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, which together bailed out Greece a few months ago with a €110-billion emergency loan. As if the Greeks didn’t have enough to contend with this summer, an urban guerrilla group has threatened to hit the country over the summer months, again increasing concerns for tourists. The group, called the Sect of Revolutionaries, issued a leaflet on 1 August that threatened to bring mayhem on the country during the coming weeks. The letter said: “Tourists should know that Greece is now longer a haven of capitalism. We aim to transform it into a war zone of revolutionary processes, with arson, sabotage, fierce demonstrations, bomb attacks, [and] armed killings.” The UK director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation Sofia Panayiotaki said she did not believe that tourists should be concerned by either the threat of terrorism or the reality of industrial action, and reminded the media that the government has already promised to compensate any tourists who suffer a financial loss as a result of the strikes: “Anyone who has a problem caused by strikes can contact the tourist office in London when they return and we will consider their claims.” The department is currently considering two claims from tourists who missed their ferry due to the strikes, although there will surely be many more to come.
Six days after it began, the strike by truck drivers in Greece that has brought the country almost to a grinding halt has been called off as the protestors agreed to enter into talks with the government. In recent days, the protest has turned ugly, with some truck drivers clashing with police who were brought in to try and control the situation, protecting the workers who chose to continue with their jobs from the strikers. The government was forced to recruit military vehicles to supply desperately needed fuel to airports, hospitals and power stations, which were in turn escorted by police vehicles.
The walkout by the truck drivers has had a severe effect on tourism, at a time when the country desperately needs the revenue the sector brings in. The entire industry, from hotel owners to car rental companies, has felt the effects of the industrial action, either through completely cancelled bookings, or assurances from holidaymakers that they would not be returning to Greece again any time soon. On the popular island of Crete and in northern Chalkidiki, there were estimated to be around 100,000 tourists stranded with no fuel, with some taking the initiative and abandoning their cars by the side of the road having run out of fuel and walking to their destination. Vassilis Korkidis, president of the Greek trade association, said: “The period to 15 August is the heart of the tourism season and an entire week has now been lost.” Air traffic controllers in Greece remain ‘working to rule’, meaning that many flights into the country are either delayed or cancelled.
The truck drivers took action at the decision by the government to open up their industry by making provisions for access to cheaper operating licenses, with the truckers arguing that it is not fair as existing operators have had to pay start-up fees of around €300,000. By having such a tightly controlled industry, though, the freight sector has in actual fact worsened the economic situation by ensuring that travel costs remain very high. The poor competitive nature of the Greek economy was one of the aspects most heavily criticised by the International Monetary Fund and the European Union, which together bailed out Greece a few months ago with a €110-billion emergency loan.
As if the Greeks didn’t have enough to contend with this summer, an urban guerrilla group has threatened to hit the country over the summer months, again increasing concerns for tourists. The group, called the Sect of Revolutionaries, issued a leaflet on 1 August that threatened to bring mayhem on the country during the coming weeks. The letter said: “Tourists should know that Greece is now longer a haven of capitalism. We aim to transform it into a war zone of revolutionary processes, with arson, sabotage, fierce demonstrations, bomb attacks, [and] armed killings.”
The UK director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation Sofia Panayiotaki said she did not believe that tourists should be concerned by either the threat of terrorism or the reality of industrial action, and reminded the media that the government has already promised to compensate any tourists who suffer a financial loss as a result of the strikes: “Anyone who has a problem caused by strikes can contact the tourist office in London when they return and we will consider their claims.” The department is currently considering two claims from tourists who missed their ferry due to the strikes, although there will surely be many more to come.