Ongoing strikes at ports in Greece have been extended for a second time by a further 24 hours, and will now terminate at 0600hrs (local time) on Tuesday.
The Seamen’s Union and the Crew Union of Towage and Salvage commenced industrial action at 0600hrs on May 6 at the ports of Piraeus, Aspropyrgos, Eleusis, Pachi and Megara and work has still not resumed.
The strike will affect domestic ferries and commercial vessels, which cannot berth, shift or sail from the affected ports while the strike continues.
European finance ministers met in Athens today to try to forge an agreement to provide Greece with the next batch of bailout loans it needs to write off some of its debts and avoid bankruptcy this summer.
The port unions and others are protesting the government’s planned changes to labour and insurance rights, pensions and retirement ages, which have been proposed as part of the deal with Greece’s creditors.
An anti-austerity rally was held in Athens on Sunday night, which reportedly saw a heavy-handed response from police.
