TAKEN FOR RIDE

Greek taxi drivers blockade access to main port and Athens airport.

Over 3,000 taxis caused a motorway obstruction en route to the airport on Monday(18th) as part of a 48 hour strike, covering all lanes bar one and generating a 5 mile long traffic jam. International and domestic flights were delayed by 20 minutes on average. Another 2,500 taxis lined the road leading to the port of Piraeus, the country’s main harbour which delivers thousands of tourists every day.

Taxi drivers are on strike over governmental reforms and the IMF/EU led austerity measures that have been harassing the Greeks for many moons now. Particularly they are protesting over proposed plans which will affect their trade, making it easier to attain taxi licences. The government plan to impose similar legislation on many professions, this being part of the agreement from last year’s €110bn bailout. “If you had got a €200,000 loan to buy a car (and) a taxi licence, according to the laws of this country... and suddenly you’re told that tomorrow you will have nothing, you tell me what you would do.” - the general secretary of Athens’ taxi driver association Konstantinos Dimos. The association has made it known they plan to extend their protest if the government doesn’t rethink their reforms.