The employees of the THA complain that the government is proceeding to further degrade the regulatory control of the State towards the private sector
Reactions have been caused by the amendments promoted by the government to the concession contract of the port of Thessaloniki, which have been legislatively included in the bill under discussion in the Parliament for the concession of the Igoumenitsa Port Organization.
As the employees of the ΟΛTH complain, the government is proceeding to further degrade the regulatory control of the State towards the private operator that operates the port.
The first regulation extends the process of fast track approvals of technical studies to each and every project carried out by OLTH in the port, as, as noted by the general secretary of the Greek Port Employees Federation (OMYLE) speaking to 91.4 To Kokkino in Thessaloniki ) Fani Gourgouri, instead of administratively modernizing the State services that carry out the control of the projects, on the contrary it is stipulated that if in three months the State does not express any objection to any planned project in the port, then this is taken as its tacit agreement. “This is about abolishing the auditing role of the State” he said characteristically.
The second issue related to the amendment of the concession contract has to do with the use concessions at the 1st pier of the port. As is widely known, the 1st pier has been a public place for recreation and walking for years, since after its reconstruction it attracts thousands of residents and visitors. It is a landmark.
In the concession contract of the port, this character was attempted to be retained by the concession of the buildings located on the 1st pier to city agencies. Four of these buildings were granted to the Municipality of Thessaloniki and one to the Public Port Authority with the aim of operating a museum and a nursery school there.
All these years, however, the buildings remain abandoned. Instead of mobilizing the municipality and the DAL for their utilization, the government proceeds to change the use of the buildings and sets a framework for their sub-concessions with the aim of gently operating catering businesses, cafes and bars. This change, as F. Gourgouri points out, directly threatens the public use of Pier 1, as it leaves open the possibility that it will turn into an endless cafeteria.
To this day, a large restaurant operates on the 1st pier, while in recent years another cafe-bar has been added, which functions as the canteen of the Maritime Museum. A canteen, of course, which has developed table seats, a platform, umbrellas, etc. in the area of the port.
“For three years now, with an industry of amendments to the concession contracts at the ports, the N.D. is proceeding to reduce and abolish the regulatory and controlling role of the State in the concession contracts of the ports,” the CEO of OMYLE pointed out characteristically on radio station 91.4 To Kokkino Thessaloniki.
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The municipal movement Thessaloniki for All also expresses its concern and concern about the fate of the first pier of the port of Thessaloniki, which points out that with the amendment of the concession contract, which is being discussed these days in the competent committee of the Parliament, the the possibility for the museums that are located within the First Pier of the port not only to operate canteens to serve their visitors, but also to develop table seating, in order to have income.
“The bill under discussion comes to retroactively legalize the situation that has been formed for a year with the Maritime Museum. Essentially, the so-called Museum of Nautical Sports has been turned into a cocktail bar and the exhibits just function as… decor,” the municipal movement emphasizes in its announcement.
For his part, the candidate for mayor with Thessaloniki for All Spyros Pegas calls on the mayor of Thessaloniki to answer what he did these four years to utilize the spaces of the 1st pier. “We call on all the mayoral candidates to position themselves on the issue of the so-called Nautical Museum, which created a bad precedent at the 1st pier. We are in favor of the sustainability of all museums, but we are opposed to any attempt to encroach on the public space at the 1st pier,” he emphasizes.
