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Greeks Clash Over Sailor Strike

Farmers and striking sailors clashed on the Greek island of Crete over closed ports in a five day long strike. The protest has caused food and gasoline supply problems for some Greek islands, and forced farmers to dump costly perishable goods. The sailors are striking to seek better pay and pension rights, and are scheduled to return to work on Wednesday.

The uprisings broke out at the Cretan ports of Iraklio and Hania, where protesting farmers stormed a local government building in an attempt to cut ropes that secured several ships in port. Government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos says, "This is a very serious issue which concerns not only the seamen but the farmers whose produce is being destroyed because of the delays caused by the strike."

In preparation for the possibility of the Greek Seamen`s Federation failing to restart some of the country`s commercial ship services when the strike`s original expiration date runs out, Athens has put several of its navy vessels on alert in order to transport emergency supplies to Greek islands. Roussopoulos added "In every strike there are usually provisions made for emergencies, and we request that one ship be allowed to sail to each destination to cover emergency requirements."