hkskyline
June 23rd, 2005, 03:44 PM
Greek general strike to disrupt air traffic Friday
ATHENS, June 22 (AFP) - A 24-hour general strike on Friday in both the private sector and public utilities is expected to disrupt air transport at the height of the tourist season.
National carrier Olympic Airlines - the main tourist carrier serving the Greek islands - will be limited to one flight per destination during the day, it said Wednesday.
Foreign airlines may also have to modify their schedules if air traffic controllers join a three-hour work stoppage called by the union of civil servants (ADEDY) from 1000 to 1300 local time (0700 to 1000 GMT).
The action is part of a 24-hour general strike organised by the General Confederation of Workers (GSEE), the largest Greek union with 600,000 members, against government labour and tax policies.
Public transport in Athens is set to grind to a halt, and public utilities such as the state-run electricity and telephone companies will operate on limited capacity, GSEE official Manolis Kontopanos told AFP.
Ferry traffic to the Greek islands could also be affected as seamen are expected to join the strike, Kontopanos said.
Dock workers at the main Greek port of Piraeus have already pledged their support to GSEE's 24-hour initiative on Friday, prolonging an overtime pay dispute with the government that has disrupted commercial traffic deliveries for the past three weeks.
The dockers intend to maintain their protest until July 1, their union said.
Friday strike will intensify social unrest that began in the banking sector two weeks ago, with the 60,000-strong banking staff unions striking against government plans to reform the social insurance fund of their members.
ATHENS, June 22 (AFP) - A 24-hour general strike on Friday in both the private sector and public utilities is expected to disrupt air transport at the height of the tourist season.
National carrier Olympic Airlines - the main tourist carrier serving the Greek islands - will be limited to one flight per destination during the day, it said Wednesday.
Foreign airlines may also have to modify their schedules if air traffic controllers join a three-hour work stoppage called by the union of civil servants (ADEDY) from 1000 to 1300 local time (0700 to 1000 GMT).
The action is part of a 24-hour general strike organised by the General Confederation of Workers (GSEE), the largest Greek union with 600,000 members, against government labour and tax policies.
Public transport in Athens is set to grind to a halt, and public utilities such as the state-run electricity and telephone companies will operate on limited capacity, GSEE official Manolis Kontopanos told AFP.
Ferry traffic to the Greek islands could also be affected as seamen are expected to join the strike, Kontopanos said.
Dock workers at the main Greek port of Piraeus have already pledged their support to GSEE's 24-hour initiative on Friday, prolonging an overtime pay dispute with the government that has disrupted commercial traffic deliveries for the past three weeks.
The dockers intend to maintain their protest until July 1, their union said.
Friday strike will intensify social unrest that began in the banking sector two weeks ago, with the 60,000-strong banking staff unions striking against government plans to reform the social insurance fund of their members.