Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-07-31

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Fuel tanker trucks suspend strike, N. Greece union disagrees, continues

[02] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Thursday

[03] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

[01] Fuel tanker trucks suspend strike, N. Greece union disagrees, continues action

Liquid fuel tanker truck owners early Thursday suspended a surprise indefinite strike begun earlier in the week after marathon talks with

officials from the development, finance and transport ministries, just as gas stations in Athens, Thessaloniki and other cities throughout Greece were depleting their fuel reserves, but the owners' umbrella Federation appeared split over the decision and the Northenr Greece union continued the strike action.

Refuelling of gas stations throughout Greece, with the exception of Northern Greece, commenced at 4:00 a.m. after the liquid fuel tanker truck owners' Federation reached agreement with the ministries shortly before midnight.

The Federation launched an indefinite strike at midnight Monday, without previous warning, demanding implementation by petrol companies of an agreement reached earlier in the month to raise fuel transportation fees.

Northern Greece liquid fuel tanker truck owners' union president Yannis Yavridis told ANA that the union disagreed with the decision reached between the Federation and the ministries that the transportation fee increase enter into effect as of January 1, 2004 and demanded that the increase take effect on August 1, 2003 as had been originally agreed.

He said the union further disagreed with the size of the increase, although he did not clarify what sum would be satisfactory for the Northern Greece owners.

Yavridis also said that the Northern Greece tanker truck owners wanted a meeting with representatives of the three involved ministries to negotiate their demands, provided, however, that they were invited for such talks by the ministries themselves, adding that they did not recognise the Federation, which he said no longer expressed them since it proceeded to an agreement that was not approved by the Federation general assembly.

Gas stations in Thessaloniki had run dry by Thursday morning, while there was a shortage in gas stations in the periphery.

Chairman of the association of gas stations of Thessaloniki Dimos Vassiliadis told ANA that there was very little chance of fuel reaching the gas stations in Thessaloniki and the rest of Northern Greece on Thursday, adding that the problem was expected to become more acute as tanker truck owners were obstructing the loading of fuel on petrol company-owned tanker trucks at the companies' loading docks since Wednesday.

[02] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Thursday

The day will be sunny in all parts of the country, with cloud building up in the centre and north from early evening, which may lead to isolated showers or storms. Winds northerly, light. In the north, temperatures will range from 17C to 32C; on the rest of the mainland from 20C to 36C; and in the islands from 22C to 33C. Temperatures in Athens between 24C and 35C; and in Thessaloniki from 23C to 31C.

[03] Foreign Exchange Rates - Thursday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.151

Pound sterling 0.710

Danish kroner 7.490

Swedish kroner 9.251

Japanese yen 138.0

Swiss franc 1.561

Norwegian kroner 8.272

Cyprus pound 0.592

Canadian dollar 1.604

Australian dollar 1.751

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article