Liberal Alliance Press Release 17 January 2008

Liberal Alliance supports the efforts to privatize the container ports of Peiraeus and Thessaloniki as this will benefit the Greek Economy.

The rapid development of World trade combined with the global domination of Greek shipping (3084 ships in 2007) could have many positive effects to the local economies of many Greek cities with port infrastructure.
But state ownership of the main Greek ports resulted in their inability to compete, mainly because of the inefficient management, leaving the advantage at this sector to neighboring Turkey.

The lost competitiveness of the Peiraius and Thessaloniki Port Organisations (OLP & OL.TH) is confirmed by the international list of ports that attract the greater volume of containers in the world. According to this list, Port of Peiraius held the 49th place until 2003. Thessaloniki was not on the list. From 2004 Peiraius stopped featuring too.

Still union leaders, flanked by their political masters sometimes violently fight for the continuation of state control on the ports.
Liberal Alliance condemns these practices and also condemns vehemently the regime of political cover and luck of punishment that the thuggery of state-brewed unionists of the ports and elsewhere, enjoys for decades.

Liberal Alliance submits that in this case what really is at stake is the power and 'privilege' of the port workers union leaders, to inflict great damage to the companies who export and import goods through the container ports, by unjustified industrial actions.
The president of the EBEA (Chamber of Commerce and Industry) was direct in his discussions with the Port Workers Federation, the latter seek nothing less than ensuring they will receive 'commissions' from the financial transactions between Port organisations and Businesses.

Liberal Alliance supports the freeing of the economy from the control of any malign group that leeches on it, benefiting from any business activities that the Greek government is involved with.
Liberal Alliance proposes the immediate privatization of the port infrastructure of Greece, which will lead to the regaining of their lost competitiveness and transform their host cities to international centres of shipping , transport and commerce.