Protesting farmers await response from gov’t to demand for dialogue

Unionists representing farmers in Nikaia, central Greece, are to meet on Monday to discuss whether to scale up their protest action, which has involved road blockades over the past week, if the government does not satisfy their demands for tax breaks and other benefits.

Following a meeting on Sunday, unionists issued a call for dialogue to the government, saying they expected a response by 7 p.m. on Monday.

A senior unionist Rizos Maroudas told the Athens-Macedonia news agency that farmers on Monday would discuss various proposals for further action.

Rebuffing reports that farmers are giving the government ultimatum, Maroudas said they were simply awaiting a meeting with government officials to discuss their demands. 

In Serres, northern Greece, farmers were to stage a symbolic protest outside the city's central tax office, underlining their demands for relief.