Athens News Agency: News in English, 03-07-23

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PM and labour minister discuss ministry policy, 'social charter'

[02] Gov't hopes to conclude negotiations with OA unions on Wednesday

[03] Intracom gets armed forces contract

[04] PASOK secretary addresses int'l youth conference

[05] Charter arrivals drop, with shift seen to new venues

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Ôhursday

[07] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Thursday

[08] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose down in profit taking

[01] PM and labour minister discuss ministry policy, 'social charter'

Prime Minister Costas Simitis and Labour Minister Dimitris Reppas held talks on Wednesday on labour ministry policies and the ''Social Charter'' that Simitis intends to announce in September.

Afterward, Reppas noted that unemployment had fallen by 2.5 per cent in the last two years and that nationwide social spending had increased by 42.6 per cent in the last five years, compared with 8.7 per cent in the European Union on average.

According to Reppas, the government's priority was a ''modern, social state'' where lower unemployment and rising employment levels would be fuelled by high growth rates.

Commenting on the results of a recent Eurobarometer poll, Reppas noted that Greeks felt less insecurity in their jobs (24 per cent) than the average in the EU (29 per cent), despite the high percentage of those who considered unemployment to be a major problem (62 per cent).

He said this perhaps reflected other factors not taken into account, such as the prevalence of part-time jobs and other forms of 'flexible' employment that were more prevalent in some EU countries, or the high level of home ownership in Greece.

[02] Gov't hopes to conclude negotiations with OA unions on Wednesday

Transport Minister Christos Verelis on Wednesday announced that negotiations with the workforce at Olympic Airways will be concluded on Wednesday, with a deal due to be signed at meeting on Wednesday afternoon between transport ministry staff and the air stewards union.

This is the last of OA staff unions to sign an agreement regarding its participation in New Olympic Airways and an agreement will open the way for a government amendment establishing the new airline.

Talks failed at a meeting between the two sides on Tuesday and the union is returning to put its final proposals on the table.

[03] Intracom gets armed forces contract

Intracom SA, an Athens-quoted telecoms and information technology manufacturer, said on Wednesday that it had secured a supply contract for the army totalling 724,000 euros.

The blue chip firm will provide the army with two mobile VSAT ground satellite terminal stations, it said in a statement.

[04] PASOK secretary addresses int'l youth conference

Ruling PASOK party secretary Michalis Chrysohoidis on Wednesday addressed the JUSY international youth festival organized by PASOK in the Kammena Vourla town of south central Greece.

He spoke of the necessity for the ''grand overturning that will bring us again in the center of political life ... it is the duty of all of us over the next seven days to open our ears and our eyes, to come off the carriage of power and to talk with you on equal terms on the burning international and local issues, which the conservative agenda can not hear, much less confront''.

He added that the role of the socialist movement under the current circumstances is to submit a complete, modern political proposal that respects human rights and social acquis, while it promotes methodically and effectively social progress and cohesion.

[05] Charter arrivals drop, with shift seen to new venues

Charter arrivals to Greece from abroad fell by 2.77 percent in June 2003 against the same month a year earlier, the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) said on Wednesday.

Compiling data from 17 airports, the GNTO said in a routine report that charter arrivals totalled 1,285,211 last month against 1,321,835 in June 2002, down 36,624.

The report noted that movement was down in traditional tourist destinations including Athens (-24.60), Santorini (-12.76 percent), and Mykonos (-11.43 percent).

Arrivals had increased to non-traditional destinations including Thessaloniki (+12.24 percent), Kalamata (+16.28 percent), and Lesvos (+9.43 percent), the report said.

[06] Foreign Exchange Rates - Ôhursday

Reference buying rates per euro released by the European Central Bank

U.S. dollar 1.149

Pound sterling 0.716

Danish kroner 7.492

Swedish kroner 9.318

Japanese yen 136.7

Swiss franc 1.557

Norwegian kroner 8.387

Cyprus pound 0.592

Canadian dollar 1.625

Australian dollar 1.753

[07] Weather Forecast: Sunny on Thursday

Sunshine is forecast in all parts of the country, with cloud building up in the centre and north from late afternoon, and isolated storms likely in the north. Winds northerly, light to moderate. In the Ionian, temperatures will range from 22C to 36C; on the mainland from 18C to 37C; and in the Aegean islands from 24C to 33C. Temperatures in Athens between 24C and 36C; and in Thessaloniki from 21C to 35C.

[08] Athens Bourse Close: Stocks nose down in profit taking

The Athens bourse finished lower on Wednesday on heavy profit taking in the last hour of the session, traders said.

The general share index shed 0.04 percent to end at 2,076.69 points, testing resistance at 2,100 points during the session. Turnover was 189.5 million euros.

The FTSE/ASE-20 index for blue chip and heavily traded stocks ended 0.24 percent up; the FTSE/ASE-40 for medium capitalisation paper 0.73 percent lower and the FTSE/ASE-80 for small cap equities finished with losses of 0.35 percent.

Of stocks traded, declines led advances at 191 to 140 with 37 issues remaining unchanged.

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