Planned strike at ELPE ruled illegal and abusive
An Athens court deemed illegal and abusive the 10-day strike that employees at Hellenic Petroleum were due to begin on Friday, which means the fuel market will not be subject to disruptions, as had been expected.
Workers at Greece?s main refining company oppose management?s failure to sign a collective labor contract. Their union met until late on Thursday in a bid to assess the situation and plan its next steps, having already staged an initial 10-day strike last month.
?We are suggesting that the level of salaries be linked to the profits of the company, and that working hours be increased a little,? Hellenic Petroleum chief executive Yiannis Costopoulos said.
He stressed that there have been seven rounds of negotiations with the unionists and that the aim is for all employees to keep their jobs.
The union claims that the company is aiming at pay cuts of up to 40 percent, while ELPE has suggested that the employees asked for an 18 percent pay rise.
