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Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 14-11-25Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Fraport-Slentel consortium preferred bidder for 14 regional airportsANA-MPA -- German airport operator Fraport AG along with Greek energy group Copelouzos was named the preferred bidder to lease and operate 14 regional airports, the country's privatisation agency said on Tuesday.Fraport and Slentel, a unit of Copelouzos group, offered 1.23 billion euros to bid for the operation of airport terminals at some of Greece's most popular tourist islands such as Rhodes, Corfu, Mykonos and Santorini. The consortium also offered 22.9 million euros as a guaranteed annual payable lease, which will be adjusted annually for inflation. The amount offered by the consortium was much higher than both the independent evaluation and the next best offer. Argentina's holding company CASA (Corporation America) with Greek engineering firm Metka, and France's Vinci Airports SAS with Greek contractor AKTOR were the other two bidders whose financial offers were unsealed on Tuesday. "The high bids offered by investors show the positive outlook for the Greek economy and tourism and are a proof that there are important international companies that are committing to a long-term investment in Greece," the chief executive officer of Greece's privatisation agency HRADF, Paschalis Bouchoris, told ANA-MPA. [02] Mass media strike on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday general strikeGreece's mass media will strike from 6:00 on Wednesday morning until 6:00 on Thursday morning, ahead of a 24-hour nationwide strike called for Thursday by the country public- and private-sector union organisations. The 32nd general strike since 2010, the mobilisation is in protest against austerity policies and the measures to be passed in the 2015 draft budget. The Athens journalists' union ESIEA has called a three-hour work stoppage from 11:00 to 14:00 on Thursday and a rally outside ESIEA's building at noon.Protests rallies have also been organised by the General Confederation of Employees of Greece (GSEE), the largest umbrella trade union group representing private-sector workers, and the civil servants' union federation ADEDY, starting at 11:00 at Klafthmonos Square in central Athens. A rally in Omonia is being organised by the PAME trade union faction affiliated to the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), with gathering spots planned in Kannigos Square, Karaiskaki Square, Vathis Square, Kotzia Square and Haftia. "Mass and unifying participation in the trade unions' strike and rally on Thursday at 11:00 will be our answer to the dead-end and destructive policies that have squeezed wage earners dry," a GSEE announcement said. ADEDY said the rally on Thursday must "restart a constant, varied and coordinated struggle to restore to the forefront society and the demands of the people of labour for wages that meet our needs, for permanent and stable work for all, for democracy and labour rights." Staff in public transport services are to join the strike with work stoppages at the start and end of their shifts, though services will keep running during the middle of the day to allow workers to participation in strike rallies. Trains of all kinds, including the Proastiakos suburban railway serving the airport, will not be running throughout Thursday, while some services on the day before and day after will be cancelled. The Athens electric railway and metro system will not be running from the start of the shift until 10:00 in the morning and from 16:00 in the afternoon until the end of the shift. Tram workers will hold work stoppages from the start of their shift until 9:00 in the morning and from 17:00 in the afternoon until the end of the day. Buses and trolleys will be running between 9:00 in the morning until 21:00 at night. There will also be a disruption to airline traffic on Thursday as a result of air-traffic controllers joining the strike action. The Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (HCCE) representing Greece's traders and small businesses also announced its intention to join the strike. The national seamen's union federation PNO announced that it will join the 24-hour general strike last Wednesday. Seamen on all categories of ships will strike from 00:01 until midnight on November 27, meaning that all ships will remain in port and not sail on that day. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |