GREECE: Angry taxi drivers clash with riot police outside transport ministry after talks with the government fail

Record ID: 338687

  • Title: GREECE: Angry taxi drivers clash with riot police outside transport ministry after talks with the government fail
  • Date: 21st July 2011
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JULY 20, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF TAXI DRIVERS GATHERED OUTSIDE MINISTRY WAITING FOR MEETING OF THEIR UNION AND MINISTER TO END, RIOT POLICE VANS PARKED ACROSS ENTRANCE TO KEEP THEM FROM ENTERING DRIVERS SHOUTING ANGRILY TOWARDS MINISTRY "Keep your hands off our taxis" RIOT POLICE GUARDING ENTRANCE TO THE MINISTRY DRIVERS SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
  • Embargoed: 5th August 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece, Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Police,Business,Politics,Transport
  • Reuters ID: LVA41WWQ2HKFD0ESCLCS8R0ZYDKH
  • Story Text: Riot police and Greek taxi drivers clashed outside the transport ministry on Wednesday (July 20) after a meeting of their union representatives with the minister was unsuccessful.
    Taxi drivers physically attacked police, and threw water bottles and other projectiles at forces who prevented them from breaking into the ministry.
    The police fired several rounds of teargas at the crowd.
    The drivers responded by tearing out street lamps, sidewalk dividers and anything else they could get their hands on and threw them at riot police.
    At least one officer was wounded by a stone.
    Taxi drivers and owners union President Thimios Liberopoulos said the union proposed changes to the law during the meeting but they were turned down.
    Wednesday marked the third day of strikes by taxi drivers over a liberalization law that came into effect this month.
    Their protests have caused mayhem in the last two days as taxi drivers blocked ports and airports with their cabs causing problems with tourists and closed off main streets and highways causing traffic jams that paralyzed transport for hours.
    Tourism industry officials have criticized their actions in the middle of the tourist season, Greece's most important income earner.
    Taxi drivers are opposed to the law which will deregulate the trade and allow more taxi licenses to be issued, saying it will create more competition in the midst of hard economic times.
    The liberalization law is to increase competitiveness in the country, create jobs, and wipe out monopolies and corruption in the profession that is hindering growth.
    For the taxi trade it will make it easier to issue a license.
    Taxi licenses were highly sought after and hard to come by and thus became an object of exploitation and control over who would get a license among owners, so taxi owners have paid high prices for the licenses.
    The government seeks to end this corruption through the law and make a more fair system of issuing licenses.
    The liberalization of trades is part of the government's agreed reforms under the first bailout package Greece received from the European Union and International Monetary Fund last year.
    Greece must move faster in implementing reforms as its international lenders continue to struggle to work out a second loan package for the country.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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