Greek Truckers Clash With Police

VOA Breaking News
September 24, 2010 at 6:20 pm

Greek truck drivers clashed with police at the country’s main port, where truckers are fighting new legislation to open up the road freight industry to competition.

On Friday, police fired tear gas to disperse opposition truckers throwing stones at other trucks trying to make their way to ferries at the main Greek port of Piraeus, near Athens.

The truckers were protesting a reform bill approved by parliament earlier in the week to deregulate the trucking sector. Existing operators who paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for their licenses say the reforms will drive them into bankruptcy

During voting on the bill Wednesday, truckers blocked two major highways leading to Athens in protest and clashed with police outside parliament.

The socialist government’s labor market reforms have sparked nearly two weeks of demonstrations by labor unions.

The reforms are part of an austerity program the Greek government agreed to implement in return for $144 billion in emergency loans from European countries and the International Monetary Fund.

Some information in this story was provided by AP and Reuters.