Piraeus port workers are resuming their industrial action as of today in protest over the concession of the container station to Chinese company Cosco.

The decision for a 48-hour strike that started at midnight came at a long meeting of the port employee unions and is threatening to cause fresh problems for the local market in the runup to Christmas.

Already, enterprises are calling for enforcement of a court decision that had deemed the industrial action illegal, while the government expressed its disappointment and concern about the fresh strike after the joint decision by the state and the unions reached last month to end industrial action and start negotiations with Cosco.

“I am unable to comprehend the legal basis of the unions’ decision,” said Economy Minister Louka Katseli, while government spokesman Giorgos Petalotis said that the dialogue between the Piraeus Port Authority and Cosco’s subsidiary, SEP, will go ahead despite the new strike.

At the same time, the European Commission sent a letter to Athens requesting details regarding the funding given to Piraeus Port Authority for the construction of one of the docks at Piraeus and the acquisition of equipment.

“Unless Greece demonstrates sufficiently that the funds were not illegally given to the Authority, they will have to be returned to the public works program,” the letter suggested.