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Pieria port employees decided to prolong their strike until Sunday, October 18. Tens of thousands of goods remain stuck at the port, including products, which can go to waste. Traders are speaking a huge losses and the local market is starting to feel the shortage of some products. The longshoremen are protesting against the 35 year concession agreement for platforms 2 and 3 of the port in Pieria with the Chinese company COSCO and are demanding the cancellation of the contract. The agreement was supposed to be enforced from October 1, 2009.

The protests called for the fierce reaction of the government in China, because of two reasons. First the deal was signed last year in Athens, personally by Chinese PM Wen Jiabao, who had personally taken the responsibility of the negotiations. Second, COSCO is one of the most influential companies in China and the most respectful name in the international shipping trade. The company’s head is Wei Jiafu, high figure in the Chinese communist party. A delegation of the Chinese communist party will arrive in Athens today and will have meetings with PM Georgios Papandreou and with some resource ministers. Logically the Chinese state is insisting on the legality of the issue and on immediately enacting the signed contract. Chinese ambassador in Athens will meet today with the minister of economy, development and trade fleet Luka Katzeli and COSCO’s management had already sent a written protest to her for the continued scandal in Pieria port.

Against the strike of the 1500 port employees are also traders. Chairman of the Traders Union in Greece Yannis Papageorgakis called for the government to take action right away and to restore the normal schedule of the port. He explained that traders are losing a lot because of the strike and not only because the good in the containers can go to waste. The companies, which import products are also losing, because right now they are loading and unloading in Malta and truck get to Greece from Italy, which leads to much more transportation costs. The companies, which export also lose, because they cannot deliver their goods at a moment of crisis, when the competition is even worse.