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After yesterday's failed attempt to convince the Minister of Transport to accept their demands opposing the full liberalization of the profession, taxi owners decided to launch sudden protests without announcing where, when and for how long. This dynamic indefinite strike not only makes the citizens’ movement difficult but also seriously disturbs the Greek government.

While the media were commenting yesterday that it was a public dispute between the former and present Minister of Transport, last night there were talks about the interference of 21 PASOK deputies who turned against Yannis Ragousis because of his actions. His dispute with Dimitris Repas, which began several weeks ago when they exchanged the ministries after the cabinet reshuffle, and continued with new minister’s decision for the full liberalization of the occupation of taxi owners exacerbated even more by informal mutual attacks, making a war atmosphere between them.

Yannis Ragousis indirectly attacked Dimitris Repas that he did nothing for the liberalization of the profession, despite the opposite government's decision. In parallel, he sent to the representatives of taxi owners a letter, which refers to a legal text that the State Council would reject the presidential decree Dimitris Repas had prepared because it was not legally consistent. Moreover, he accused his predecessor that he has not submitted the draft of the presidential decree to the Council of Ministers to discuss it. In particular, during his meeting with the trade union of taxi owners Yannis Ragousis had said, "There is a logical question and it is whether the government lacks continuity. Of course, there is such when the general authorities make the decisions. If the draft of the presidential decree was submitted to the Council of Ministers for discussion and we decided with my participation in my capacity as Minister of the Interior that the occupation of taxi owners should remain closed, then this decision would naturally bind to anyone on the place of Mr. Repas."

Associates of Dimitris Repas, who is now Minister of eGovernment, argue that the text Yannis Ragousis referred to does not exist and if so, he should announce it publicly. Moreover, they pointed out that if the Minister of Transport would like the State Council to discuss the draft of the presidential decree all he has to do is to submit it to parliament.

At the same time, as if the dispute between the two ministers was not enough, 21 PASOK MPs requested to convene the parliamentary committee on transport and the Minister to attend the meeting to inform them on the crisis the strike of taxi owners caused.

Without hiding his annoyance, Yannis  Ragousis said he approved the session, which will discuss the bills of the ministry with a focus on the liberalization of closed professions. The announcement of the initiative made the impression that an attempt to sabotage the minister at intergovernmental level lies behind the MPs initiative.

PASOK attacked that the initiative of the 21 MPs is very much alike, especially in terms of reasons, the letter of the 16 MPs, who had supported the meeting of the parliamentary group a few days before the government reshuffle.

Typical is the statement of Tonya Andoniou who had taken even then the initiative to collect signatures that "the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Networks has never convened meetings of deputies.  He did the same with the Kalikratis program for reforming the territorial division of the country."  She added the following note: "Not only that we are beaten for the Memorandum, we will not be beaten for the taxis."

At the same time, the confrontation with New Democracy, which the government is accusing to support the strike of the taxi owners, is going on. Their union leader Evtimios Limberopoulos said, "We are going on like that until we get on their nerves," and thanked the PASOK deputies for the initiative.

In an interview with Radio Vima, the PASOK deputy Dimitris Kremastinos said that the presidential decree on the full liberalization of the profession will be finalized in October and that Minister Yannis Ragousis does not intend to take any decisions before a dialogue is held. "The minister would not like to cause serious problems. His purpose is to conduct a dialogue by compromise, and not just to make a compromise. "

Most of the comments below the articles on the topic in the electronic editions of Greek newspapers and social media are completely against the protest of taxi owners. Many people speak with irony for the "poor" taxi drivers who do not want to lose any of their privileges. Others ask how the authorities could allow the country to apply the law of the jungle, where everyone does what he likes, without considering the others and whether those 21 deputies of PASOK have permits for taxis. Third, just find that once again the politicians are "caressing" a professional group with the sole purpose of not losing them from their party constituency.