Striking Greek truck drivers clash with police

Jul 29, 2010, 13:06 GMT

Athens - Hundreds of striking truck drivers clashed with riot police in front of the Greek transport ministry on Thursday after the government issued an emergency order to force them back to work.

The clashes occurred after more than 2,000 drivers gathered to protest outside the transport ministry, with riot police firing tear gas to disperse the angry crowd.

The majority of petrol stations remained closed across the country Thursday. Some 35,000 truck drivers launched a strike on Monday, to protest the government's attempt to open up their profession to competition.

The walkout has caused a severe fuel and fresh food shortage across the country as well as hitting the country's vital tourism industry.

The drivers are protesting the government's failure to consult them over the details of a draft law that seeks to liberalize their sector in line with European Union regulations.

The government on Wednesday evening gave the truck drivers the option of returning to work within 24 hours or risk losing their licences. Reports said union leaders planned to ignore the back to work order.

News of the strike sent thousands of Athenians and Greeks in other parts of the country scurrying for fuel, resulting in long queues outside of petrol stations.

Fearing that the strike could extend for days, many drivers ended up pumping their tanks to the limit, leaving more than 80 per cent of stations without petrol.

Greece's main labour unions have since February staged repeated strikes against the tough austerity measures and reforms the country has agreed with its euro zone partners and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a 110-billion-euro (138 billion dollar) economic bailout.

A team of EU, IMF and European Central Bank officials are currently in Athens to monitor progress and decide whether to release the second installment of the emergency package in September, totalling 9 billion euros.

The European Union has ordered Greece to open up many closed professions to competition, including road freight, lawyers and cruise ship crews.

Last month, striking cruise ship crews closed down parts of Greece's largest port of Pireaus during the busy tourism season.