Greek taxi owners launched a second week of strike action on Monday in a protest against government deregulation that has caused major disruption at the height of the busy summer tourist season.
Thymios Lyberopoulos, president of the Attica taxi owners’ union, said the strike would go on indefinitely, while plans were underway for a demonstration at the parliament in central Athens on Tuesday.
The protest began last Monday in response to a government decision to deregulate the taxi sector as part of efforts to liberalize the nation’s struggling economy, a key demand of Greece’s foreign creditors.
Taxi owners argue that full liberalization will sink the value of their operating licenses, which until now were worth hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars).
The protest at the height of the holiday season has angered tour operators and Tourism Minister Pavlos Geroulanos who said the action was damaging the country’s reputation abroad.
(source: AFP)
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