Ferries remain in ports as seafarers in Greece go on strike 

Athens, Feb. 8, (dpa/GNA)  -  A strike by seafarers working in domestic ferry services began in Greece on Wednesday morning. 

Until Friday at 6 am (0400 GMT), no ferry is scheduled to sail to and from the islands of the Aegean and Ionian Seas. 

The seafarers’ unions are demanding new collective agreements with more money and protesting against widespread undeclared work. 

One consequence of the strike is that many Greek islands remain cut off from the outside world unless they have an airport. 

Because of the large number of islands, ferry traffic in Greece is as important as the railways in other countries. 

No ferry left on Wednesday morning. There were only a few tourists who were surprised by the strike. 

The work stoppage was announced days ago and travel agencies warned their customers, Greek media reported. 

The seafarers’ union association threatened on its homepage to hold new strikes in the coming weeks if the shipping companies did not give in and give at least a 12% wage increases. 

GNA