Property damage and business interruption

22.1, strike, business interruption

Greece: industrial action by Greek dock workers dissatisfied with moves to privatise Greece’s container terminals delayed imports and exports. Workers were concerned about the maintenance of their labour rights after a draft law which would allow private transport companies to operate container stations in Piraeus and Thessaloniki ports was submitted to parliament in January. Dock workers at the two ports voted for a 24 hour strike on January 30 and to abstain from overtime work and work on weekends throughout February. Piraeus was the main port affected by the dockers’ action, and was the scene of a violent demonstration. Greece’s second port, Thessaloniki, was closed for a week and some port customers feared dissent would spread to other locations. Most shipping lines were either attempting to berth at Volos, the third largest port in Greece, or to discharge cargo in Malta or Turkey. One agent claimed some lines were refusing bookings altogether.