GREECE: Hundreds of Greek demonstrators protest against the arrest of shipyard workers who stormed the Defence Ministry complex in Athens

Record ID: 230918

  • Title: GREECE: Hundreds of Greek demonstrators protest against the arrest of shipyard workers who stormed the Defence Ministry complex in Athens
  • Date: 6th October 2012
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (OCTOBER 5, 2012) (REUTERS) HUNDREDS OF SHIPBUILDERS ON ROAD IN FRONT OF COURTHOUSE AND RIOT POLICE BLOCKING COURT HOUSE RIOT POLICE IN FRONT OF VANS PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNERS PROTESTERS STANDING AROUND MORE OF POLICE AROUND PROTESTERS PROTESTERS RIOT POLICE OUTSIDE COURT BUS WITH ARRESTED PROTESTERS ARRIVING ARRESTED MEN BEING RUSHED TO COURT HOUSE SUPPORTERS CLAPPING AS THEY ARE RUSHED INTO COURT MORE OF CLAPPING AS ONE OF THE UNION LEADERS, VASSILIS KARAKITSOS, IS BEING WALKED IN SUPPORTERS CLAPPING BEHIND RIOT POLICE LINE PROTESTERS SHOUTING IN GREEK: 'Workers need jobs' AND CLAPPING OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE COURT HOUSE FRONT DOOR PROTECTED BY POLICE PEOPLE OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE ONE OF THE ARRESTED MEN IN HANDCUFFS RAISING HANDS SEEN THROUGH WINDOW RAISED HANDCUFFED HANDS SEEN THROUGH BARS ON WINDOW SUPPORTER RAISING A FIST AT WINDOW POLICE AND SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE RELEASED MEN WALKING OUT OF COURT HOUSE TO CHEERS AND CLAPPING PROTESTERS HUGGING RELEASED MEN (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) SHIPBUILDERS UNION LEADER, VASSILIS KARAKITSOS, SAYING: "Take your hands off the unions, and take your hands off the workers. If they think that handcuffs will keep us down they are fooling themselves." MORE OF PROTESTERS HUGGING RELEASED MEN AFTER SPEECHES IN FRONT OF COURT HOUSE
  • Embargoed: 21st October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Economy,Employment,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA2EEL1BGEEJX68UDSYEBJGC0VQ
  • Story Text: Hundreds of demonstrators protested on Friday (October 5) in Athens over the arrest of shipbuilders who broke into the defence ministry on Thursday (October 4) to protest about overdue pay.
    Police arrested 250 people on Thursday when workers from Greece's Hellenic Shipyards broke into the ministry compound and clashed with police who used pepper spray and batons to disperse them.
    Ten of those arrested, many of whom were union leaders or representatives, were taken to court on Friday to have their charges read. Hundreds of people including union representatives, workers and opposition party members went to support them.
    Amongst the charges were causing damage to public property, resisting the authorities, attempted bodily harm against the police, and disturbing the peace, which are misdemeanours.
    They were later released and are due back in court on Monday (October 8) to answer to the charges.
    Greeted with cheers and applause by their supporters as they came out the court building, one of the arrested men, defiant union leader Vassilis Karakitsos, said nothing would stop their fight to protect workers, their jobs and their pay.
    The shipbuilders say they have not only had their wages cut but have not been paid for at least six months.
    "Take your hands off the unions, and take your hands off the workers. If they think that handcuffs will keep us down they are fooling themselves," Katrisos told the crowd.
    The Hellenic or Skaramanga Shipyards, responsible for building military vessels for the state, has experienced difficulties due to a lack of payment by the government for building contracts, putting workers out of a job or causing the reduction of their working hours and wages, protesters said.
    More than one thousand workers are employed at the shipyard. The shipyard is owned by Lebanese and German interests after being privatised in 2010.
    Prime Minister Antonis Samaras condemned the actions by the shipbuilders on Friday and opposition politicians that supported the actions.
    "At this moment the government is waging a battle on all fronts for the credibility of the country, and to save the country so that the great sacrifices of the Greek people are not lost. Whoever believes that I will allow the country to run a mock they are fooling themselves," Samaras told journalists after returning from Paris.
    The government is in difficult negotiations with the troika - inspectors of the European Union, European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, over a new package of measures that will further cut wages and pensions.
    Austerity measures already imposed since 2010, which also cut wages and pensions and reduced jobs, have caused a drop in public consumption, resulting in businesses closing, and employers reducing wages or working hours of employees to cover the drop in profits.
    Unemployment has risen to more than 23 percent.
    After weeks of talks, Athens is still struggling to clinch an agreement on nearly 12 billion euros of cuts with the "troika", who fear some of the proposed savings are not feasible. A government official added that there was also disagreement on how much the economy would shrink next year, which has implications for all of the other targets. But officials said not all hope was lost that the Greek government would resolve issues before next Monday's meeting of eurozone finance ministers, easing Athens's efforts to secure an already delayed 31.5 billion euro tranche of aid needed to avoid bankruptcy.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register