Truck drivers and railway workers strike in Greece

[ilaughatrightwingers]

<a
href="http://libcom.org/news/truck-drivers-railway-workers-strike-greece-15092010">Source</a>
<p>
After the August thaw between the Greek government and the
fuel carrying truck drivers, the latter are once again showing
their teeth, while railway workers defy court ruling and
strike.
<p>
The thaw between fuel carrying truck drivers and the Greek
government lasted little more than a month, and that month
being August, it has proved to be but a tactical move by the
union which brought Greece to a standstill for a week last
July and forced the government to employ civil conscription
against strikers.
<p>
The new strike has led to new worries about the availability
of fuel across the country, more so as it coincides with a
strike by petrol station owners who protest against price
controls imposed by the government. The truck driver's strike
began on Monday with hundreds of trucks blocking much of the
national highway entrances to Athens on North and South. The
so called 'siege of Athens' was not resolved as the government
was hoping today as the union reps declared the bilateral
talks "some more of the same old stuff". The
president of the union declared that the mobilisation will
continue as drivers had no longer anything to lose. Although
the drivers have declared they will provide fuel for
hospitals, airplanes and boats, the Minister of
Infrastructures Mr Reppas retorted today that "civil
conscription does not involve only the means of transport but
also the service itself", indicating that the government
will seek to persecute drivers who simply allow their vehicles
to be used by the State but refuse to drive them themselves.
Drivers responded to the Minister's belligerent stance by
occupying his political offices in Tripoli.
<p>
At the same time, despite a High Court decision that declared
their labour action illegal, the Railway Union stopped all
train transport on Tuesday while announced rolling stoppages
for today, in response to plans of privatising OSE, the State
rail monopoly as part of the austerity measures. During
yesterday's strike railway workers occupied the headquarters
of OSE in Athens.

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