Piraeus Port workers’ unionists are preparing for a continuous strike in protest of the port’s privatization and the new labor law that allows mass layoffs.
The unionists have decided to start repeated 48-hour strikes on Monday. Docks II and III that belong to Chinese Cosco and service cargo ships will operate normally. However, Dock I and the docks that service cruise ships and motor vehicles will close.
Similarly, Thessaloniki Port unions will follow suit. In the past few weeks, Thessaloniki Port workers have stopped working on weekends complaining about not getting paid overtime.
Business and industry associations are preparing letters to the government asking to stop the strikes because they would cause a blow in the already suffering Greek economy. They also note that the closing of the railroad line at Idomeni by protesting migrants in the past two months has caused serious damages in the transport of goods.
Shipping Minister Theodoros Dritsas who is opposed to the privatization of Greece’s two main ports has stated in parliament that the government will ensure that workers’ rights will be protected.
Similar strikes at Piraeus Port in 2008 lasted 14 months causing tens of millions of euros in damages to the port and businesses, while thousands of jobs had been lost.
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