Galery

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Dimitris drew our attention to the existence of the kiosks, which are owned by the warehouses for tobacco. They employ the license of a man of straw who opens a kiosk and sells cigarettes. So warehouseman earn double.

"This is a fact, but we can not do anything about it. These cases have long existed, and therefore issued a law that nobody can have more than one kiosk in his name.

The union does not dealt neither with this, although the law contradicts the constitution. It is not possible for me to have a cash register and everything else I need and for them to tell me that I can not associate with anyone. But this is an old approach of all governments which in their attempt to resolve an issue, affect a whole lot of other things".

According to Dimitris the Greek state should be forced to implement two decisions of the European Court, "which was addressed by Italy and France. Through them the state undertakes to protect retailers and determines as a minimum the profit of 8.2 per cent from the sale of tobacco products. Here, of course this does not happen, although to my knowledge decisions of the European Court are valid also in the domestic law of member states. We work here with an average profit of 3.2 percent, because the profit from the so-called cheap cigarettes is 2.5 percent".

Dimitris hopes that the Greek court will select a mixed panel for a temporary management of the Athenian professional organization of owners of kiosks. "Thus elections will be held and decisions will be taken for the organization of protests. Nobody will gave us anything for granted if you do not fight for it. And therefore a mobilizing of my coleagues in Athens is necessary, because here are concentrated most of the kiosks.

The losses for the government and for all who are in one way or another related to the chain of supply of goods of the pavilions will be huge in case of a possible strike of ours. This with the pharmacies was nothing".