GREECE: Angry tourists heckle protesters blocking passenger ferries in Piraeus

Record ID: 340061

  • Title: GREECE: Angry tourists heckle protesters blocking passenger ferries in Piraeus
  • Date: 24th June 2010
  • Summary: PIRAEUS, GREECE (JUNE 23, 2010) (REUTERS) PIRAEUS PORT, SHIPS IN DOCK, HUNDREDS OF PROTESTERS FORMING A CHAIN IN FRONT OF SHIPS HUNDREDS OF PROTESTERS BLOCKING ENTRANCE TO SHIPS TOURISTS STANDING IN FRONT OF PROTESTERS WITH THEIR LUGGAGE, WAITING TOURISTS WAITING WITH LUGGAGE TOURISTS AND PROTESTERS STANDING ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER VARIOUS OF TOURISTS AND PROTESTERS PU
  • Embargoed: 9th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Travel / Tourism
  • Reuters ID: LVA8NPVHXESVX5P13R5BTQZNOVEJ
  • Story Text: Tensions raised at Greece's main port of Piraeus on Wednesday (June 23) when protesters occuppying passenger ships as part of a seamen's strike over the government's economic reform plans were confronted by booing tourists, angry at not being able to travel.
    Tourists trying to board passenger ferries for the Greek islands engaged in a heated confrontation with protesters who blocked them from boarding ships.
    The tourists began heckling the protesters and at one point pushing and shoving broke out, as hundreds of frustrated tourists sat across the protesters with their luggage waiting.
    Passenger ferry routes to the Greek islands were postponed as ship union employees went on a 24-hour strike called by the workers arm of the Communist Party.
    "I think it's stupid because I have friends on Ios island. They were in businesses who are getting poorer every day, and the tourists won't come, and they see this on the TV and they won't come again. Last year was a bad year, this year is bad, businesses will close. And these people don't care about the people on the islands, they only care about here, so they are stupid," said tourist Robert Smith from Australia.
    "It's sad because honestly tourism is part of the Greek, a big part of Greece's economy and this is not helping the tourism, so I just don't understand why this is happening, it's only going to hurt the country and it's beautiful I am sure I have not been able to see any of it yet but I would love to and I just really hope I can go and enjoy it and see it without having to deal with anymore of this," said American tourist Isabella Cables from North Carolina.
    "I appreciate the situation that they are in, the workers, but it is a disruption to everybody, a catch 22, I think," said tourist Ron Donahue from Australia.
    Crews and technicians are opposed to the government's recently announced pension and labour reform plans but also to a decision by the government to dissolve the "cabotage law" in order to boost the economy.
    Changes to the law would allow foreign cruise ships to dock at Greek ports, now only allowed by EU flagged ships. But seamen say under the law there are regulations on crews having to be Greek on the ships, and without it jobs will be lost.
    "The constant downgrading of workers' rights and conditions will just make matters worse and increase the problem," said ship mechanic's union president Savvas Tsiboglou.
    The courts have ruled the strike by the shipmen as illegal, but police did not intervene to remove the protesters to avoid violence.
    The action was part of a general strike across Greece by various workers collectives and unions, organised by the Communist Labour Front, (PAME) of which they are affiliated - a communist workers movement that belongs to the Communist Party.
    Protesters from PAME were at the forefront of the ferry blockade, supporting the striking seamen, and have also been at the front of other strikes and protests in the last five months.
    The strikes and protests have caused inconvenience to tourists and a drop in bookings, setting off alarm bells in the tourism sector. Ground transport, boat and plane schedules have been cancelled from strikes, and protests have turned violent, when income from the country's main earner is most needed.
    Labour unions have been protesting for months over a string of tough measures taken by the government to reduce its massive debt, including cuts to wage incomes, pension and labour market reforms.
    Workers say the measures reduce spending power when wages are already too low for the current standard of living, and are increasing unemployment.
    Greece has received a rescue package from the IMF and European Union to keep it from defaulting after markets shut it out from borrowing when it was unveiled that its deficit was larger than reported.
    The labour actions have been seen as a test of the government's resolve, but it has not budged on reforms since it began implementing them four months ago. A pension and labour reform draft bill is to be submitted to parliament this week as part of the latest measures.
    ath/jrc/
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register