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Empty shelves because of the carriers’ strike

19 September 2010 / 16:09:32  GRReporter
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The lack of products on the market increases and since tomorrow the greatest supply problems due to the strike of the transporters are expected to face the residents of the islands and in the province. Today, another 100 trucks came out on the highways around Athens and Thessaloniki, and the carriers are saying they will continue with the protests, although the government warned that it would take strict measures.

According to the chairman of the National Federation of Greek trading Vassilis Korkidis the orders are being partly carried out and if this continues traders will have problems. In turn the Government is preparing a plan to avoid problems in the market, but also to clear the highways. The state will intervene if the protests of the carriers continue also after the voting of the bill for the liberalization of the profession or in case that the strike of the carriers causes problems with supplies of goods and fuels.

The Ministries of Infrastructure, of Civil Protection and of Justice will implement legal measures against the carriers, and in the parliament will be introduced an amendment according to which the three-year transition period will be canceled and the occupation will be liberalized soon. While the new licenses are issued to the trucks and tanks for government procurements, an opportunity will be given to the trucks of the private entrepreneurs to take the routes of public carriers.

The probability for the trucks stopped on the highway to be removed from the highway through the presence of prosecutors is already being considered, because leaving them there, "causes traffic jams." At the same time the carriers who have left their trucks on the highways are likely to be legally punished, since they work in favor of the State: "we are familiar with the license numbers of the trucks involved in the protest" explained members of the government.

The increasing protest actions of the carriers will cause large gaps in the market emphasized members of the Central Union of the Chambers of Commerce in Greece and at the same time they accused the government of "insincere dialogue". The consequences of the protest on the market will be: complete suspension of the export trade, lack of raw materials for the processing plants, a complete blockage of the export trade and irregularities in the supply in some regions in the province, even for the essential goods.

According to the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Athens Constantinos Mihalos from tomorrow the supply problem will be felt on the islands and in the province. "Two thousand containers were unloaded in Piraeus and were blocked. Four ships have stopped at the port in Thessaloniki and are waiting to be unloaded. We have a decrease in the volume of arrivals, but also a decrease in the export", said Mr. Mihalos for SKY.

According to the carriers currently in the Attica region have stopped 750 trucks and tanks at a total of 14 blockades. In the area of Thessaloniki, the presence of carriers is also significant with a total of 330 machines stopped. Trucks and tanks for public procurements have stopped at the port, in the area of the plant Titan, close to Derveni, in the Lahanagora region and at the bridge to Thessaloniki close to the warehouses of Lidl.

Carriers prepare a protest on Tuesday at 12 o’clock at the offices on the Piraeus Blvd and they are then planning a demonstration to Syntagma Square, where the Parliament is located and also a sitting strike. Carriers from northern Greece have also said they will participate in the activities of their Athenian colleagues.

Tags: society news carriers strike trucks tanks
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