Striking ports workers march to protest Greek ports sales (updated)

Thessaloniki Port Authority SA

31/05/2016 13:59

(Updates with shareholders meeting repeat) 
    By Angeliki Koutantou 
    ATHENS, May 31 (Reuters) - Greek port workers went on strike 
for a sixth day on Tuesday and marched through central Athens to 
protest the state-sanctioned selloff of the country's two 
largest ports, Piraeus  OLPr.AT  and Thessaloniki  OLTr.AT . 
    Privatisations have been a pillar of a succession of 
international bailouts for Greece since 2010, but political 
resistance and bureaucracy has stymied the task. From an initial 
target of 50 billion in revenue from asset sales, Greece has 
barely managed to scrape together 3 billion euros.  
    Fearing layoffs, port workers have been on 48-hour rolling 
strikes since last week and have said they will not return to 
work unless their requests are addressed. 
    "Everything, taxes, bills, the living cost, is going up. 
Daily food has become more expensive. And myself, I don't know 
if I have job tomorrow," said port worker Antonis Peristerakis, 
49, father of two children. 
    "I need security. I want to have food for my children. I 
don't want to look for a job at the age of 49." 
    Greece sealed last month the sale of a 67 percent stake in 
Piraeus Port to shipping giant China COSCO  601919.SS  for 368.5 
million euros.  ID:nL5N17B243  
     
    CARGO OPERATIONS DISRUPTED 
    Piraeus Port's shareholders met on Tuesday to approve the 
36-year concession between Piraeus Port and the government and 
the election of new board members.  
    But discussion on the issues was postponed until June 10 
after 200 port workers gathered outside the hotel building 
hosting the meeting to protest the sale, said an official with 
Greece's privatisation agency, which is the main shareholder of 
Piraeus Port and manages the sale. 
    The workers want COSCO to safeguard jobs for a minimum 
number of people, along with their current labour contracts, as 
part of the concession agreement. Piraeus port employs 1,100 
people. 
    The strike is mainly disrupting cargo operations but 
Greece's cruise ship-owners union has said that the walkout 
could also affect cruise ships docking in Piraeus. 
    Under the privatisation scheme, Athens is also selling a 67 
percent stake in Thessaloniki Port. Sources close to the process 
have said the binding bids are expected at the end of September. 
 ID:nA8N181000  
    Denmark's container terminal operator APM Terminals 
 APMOLM.UL , Phillipines-based International Container Terminal 
Services ICTS  ICT.PS  and Dubai-based P&O Steam Navigation 
Company (DP World)  DPW.DI  were strongly interested in the 
Thessaloniki port, the head of the privatisation agency said 
last month. ID:nL5N17E3W9  
    Greece aims at raising more than 2 billion euros from 
divesting state assets this year to meet a bailout target of 
about 6 billion euros from asset sales by 2018. The country has 
said it will use the proceeds to reduce its mountainous debt and 
boost growth through public investments. 
 
 (Additional reporting by Lefteris Karagiannopoulos; Editing by 
Angus MacSwan) 
 ((angeliki.koutantou@thomsonreuters.com; +30 210 3376436; 
Reuters Messaging: angeliki.koutantou.reuters.com@reuters.net)) 
 
Keywords: EUROZONE GREECE/PORTS PRIVATISATION (UPDATE 1, PIX