GREECE: Nearly 1,000 taxi drivers protest outside Transport Ministry as part of a 48-hour strike that has left many in the capital without transport

Record ID: 339855

  • Title: GREECE: Nearly 1,000 taxi drivers protest outside Transport Ministry as part of a 48-hour strike that has left many in the capital without transport
  • Date: 29th September 2011
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (SEPTEMBER 28, 2011) (REUTERS) DEMONSTRATORS PLACING BANNER ON WALL OUTSIDE GREECE'S TRANSPORT MINISTRY READING: "PASOK THIEVES: IF YOU WANT IT COME AND GET IT" VARIOUS OF TAXI DRIVERS HOLDING BANNER READING: "HANDS OFF TAXI CABS" PARTICIPANTS GATHERING FOR DEMONSTRATION (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) TAXI DRIVER, NICOS MITARAS, SAYING: "We are fighting for our di
  • Embargoed: 14th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece, Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAC3RVHMAJPMV6HD5AESA4M2ET3
  • Story Text: Greek owners and drivers of taxi cabs on Wednesday (September 28) surrounded the Ministry of Transport as they began a 48-hour strike over government plans to open their profession to competition and place controls on licenses.
    Holding banners against Greece's socialist government reading "PASOK if you want it come and get it," nearly 1,000 demonstrators made a human chain around the ministry.
    "Hands off our taxis," read another banner.
    Taxi drivers have staged a series of strikes since the summer over the plan, which the government said will create more jobs and weed out corruption in the sale of licenses.
    The trade was "closed" to new drivers as the sale of licenses was exploited and sold for huge sums. Drivers are angered because they initially paid large sums to secure their licenses, but under the new measure, new licenses will be cheaper for drivers.
    They also do not want more competition as there are already tens of thousands of drivers in Athens.
    "We are fighting for our dignity. Now they are violating our souls. They are taking what we have fought for all these years. We have put our homes at stake for those (licenses). It can't be that anyone can do what he wants. They can't tell you that it is this way and then tell you that it is the other way," taxi driver Nicos Mitaras told Reuters.
    Removing restrictions on so-called "closed professions" such as taxi drivers is one of the key terms for Greece to continue receiving bailout funds from the European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).
    "They want to rip us of our property. Some colleagues bought their licenses a month ago, some paid 50 thousand, some paid 100 thousand (euros) and today they are telling them this license is worth nothing. This is why we are fighting and we will continue until the last drop of our blood," another taxi driver, Dimitris Anastasiou, said.
    Meanwhile, riot police circled the ministry armed with riot gear.
    In September drivers violently clashed with police outside a trade fair in the northern city of Thessaloniki where the prime minister was speaking.
    In the summer a two week strike by taxi drivers and blockades of streets with cabs in cities caused serious problems for tourists, who could not travel around the country. Tourism industry officials had heavily criticised the move.
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