Greek lorry drivers end strike

[pampango]

Source: Al Jazeera

Greek lorry drivers have ended a week-long strike that caused fuel shortages across the country at the height of tourism season. After a long meeting on Sunday, the union leaders of petrol tankers and lorries agreed to suspend their strike and resume talks with the government over freight sector reform plans. "Taking into consideration the problems created with the fuel supply in the market, with food and petrol shortage and with responsibility towards the society we decided with narrow majority votes the suspension of the strike," George Tzortzatos, a union head, said.

They had walked off the job last Monday to protest against plans to open up their sector, a reform required by a multi-billion euro EU/IMF bailout plan. The strike disrupted fuel supply all over the country, with queues forming at petrol stations.

The 33,000-strong truckers union has been fighting the government's move to open up their profession and cut the price of licences to own and operate lorries, part of structural reforms to make the debt-laden economy more competitive. Road freight is one of the most closed professions in Greece with no new licences issued for nearly 40 years.

"It would make everything more efficient and much cheaper, for example, to move goods around the country," he said. "But if you are a trucker with one of those valuable licenses, and particularly if you happened to have bought one just a couple of years ago, maybe mortgaged your house in order to do so ... then today you're going to be very, very upset because it would seem the value of your investment has fallen dramatically."



Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/08/20108115475235537.html