Police and truckers clash in Athens demo (video)
Hauliers refuse to end strike over industry reforms
Greek police yesterday used tear gas to break=up a demonstration in Athens by hundreds of striking lorry drivers.
The hauliers were refusing to obey an emergency government order to end a strike,that for four days has paralysed Greece, depriving petrol stations of fuel and prompting tourists to cancel holidays.
Bottles were hurled outside the transport ministry as angry drivers tried to climb the gates and get inside.
They were demanding compensation for reforms that aim to liberalise the freight sector. The Greek government wants to open the freight sector to more competition as part of the austerity measures agreed with the IMF and the EU.
The drivers argue that new licence charges are unfair and well below the start-up fee of up to €300,000 (US$390,000) existing operators had to pay.
Local reports suggest that police were to hand out documents to the truckers telling them their vehicles were being requisitioned. But many had abandoned their lorries so the papers could not be served.
The government employed a rare emergency order to force the drivers back to work, usually reserved for times of war or natural disaster, after negotiations with the drivers broke down.
Video source: Russia Today
The hauliers were refusing to obey an emergency government order to end a strike,that for four days has paralysed Greece, depriving petrol stations of fuel and prompting tourists to cancel holidays.
Bottles were hurled outside the transport ministry as angry drivers tried to climb the gates and get inside.
They were demanding compensation for reforms that aim to liberalise the freight sector. The Greek government wants to open the freight sector to more competition as part of the austerity measures agreed with the IMF and the EU.
The drivers argue that new licence charges are unfair and well below the start-up fee of up to €300,000 (US$390,000) existing operators had to pay.
Local reports suggest that police were to hand out documents to the truckers telling them their vehicles were being requisitioned. But many had abandoned their lorries so the papers could not be served.
The government employed a rare emergency order to force the drivers back to work, usually reserved for times of war or natural disaster, after negotiations with the drivers broke down.
Video source: Russia Today
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