PPC plant bill debate begins amid reactions

Parliament started on Friday to debate the bill for the concession of Public Power Corporation’s lignite units at Meliti and Megalopoli, with reactions both inside and outside the House, PPC chief Manolis Panagiotakis expressing disagreement on labor regulations, and grid operator ADMIE’s worries about the system’s stability during industrial action against the sale.

PPC workers’ union GENOP marked the start of the debate before the Parliamentary Committee of Production and Commerce by staging a three-hour occupation of PPC’s central Athens headquarters. From midnight Sunday the union will launch consecutive 48-hour strikes, hoping power outages lasting a few hours will make consumers take notice.

Still, PPC staff no longer control the central switch at Aghios Stefanos in northern Attica, which is now controlled by the state and China’s State Grid.