What’s going on with the truck drivers Strike? All lot is going on, but nothing has changed in the substance…. Truck drivers, motorists, travellers, shop owners are all on a stand-by mood.
Currently striking drivers are holding negotiations talks with officials from the Transport Ministry. Then the drivers will go and meet Minister of Transport, Dimitris Reppas. Earlier there was tension outside the Ministry with police forces firing tear gas against the strikers.
At the same time, personal ‘civil mobilizations orders’ are handed out to striking drivers. Last night the government published this order, normally issued in times of war or natural disasters, in order to force truck and fuel tanks drivers to stop their protests that hold ‘Greek society hostage” as Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou said.
If this procedure will go according to government’s wish the fuel situation in Greece will normalize after two days.
Disobeying the order is consider a felony with the possibility of losing the truck licence, confiscating trucks and imprisonment to 3 months.
Truck drivers were angry against the opening of their profession and are more angry now! They are disappointed by the talks they had yesterday with the ministry. State officials proposed them to first abandon the strike and then hold negotiations. Something the drivers’ associations and union could not accept. Now the drivers ask the lifting of mobilization-order in order to proceed to dialogue with the state.
Last night and this morning drivers threatened in TV broadcasts to enter a “white strike” . That means they will follow the civil mobilization orders only in handing out their trucks to the state but they will refuse to drive them. In this case the state would have to use soldiers as drivers.
The majority of petrol stations in Athens has run out of fuel. Especially bad is the situation in Northern Greece in general and Halkidiki in particular with Greek and foreign tourists being stuck and unable to find a drop of gasoline to move. Thousands of foreign tourists from neighbouring countries spend their vacations in Northern Greece travelling by car. SKY TV reported that there might be problems at Macedonia airport in Thessaloniki tomorrow with the possibility of flights cancellation, if the strike will not end and the supply of fuel return to normal.
The strike threatens to ‘black out’ the country in the middle of highest tourist season. Already tour operators report of booking cancellations.
Farmers are complaining about tons of rotten fruits and vegetables. The chorus of complaining folks is joined by shop owners, rent-a-car agents and yacht renters, hoteliers. Greeks planning to enter their summer vacation on weekend are feeling quite unsure if their choice to travel by car was right. So far there has been not fuel shortage reported from big ports like Piraeus, with ships departing and arriving as normal.
The drivers stand firm and demand from the state to proceed to the opening of their profession to facilitate more competition. This measure is implied by the major Greece’s lenders IMF and EU.
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as much as i empathize with the truckers, i just cannot justify what they are doing to us tourists.
I am sorry that you are having hard times in Greece.i hope Nea Moudania is compensating with the crystal water, good food and other beauties.
The problem is that truck drivers are doing this to us,locals, too! Many people I know have no clue about their vacation starting on Saturday.