Hellenic Petroleum workers suspend strike throughout Greece

Workers at the Greece's biggest refiner Hellenic Petroleum decided late on Tuesday to suspend a strike which has disrupted fuel supplies after receiving government assurances they would be exempt from planned public sector wage cuts.
Workers at the state-controlled group walked off the job on Tuesday and were expected to shut down all the firm's refineries by late Wednesday, demanding to be exempted from provisions of a draft austerity law which would cap the average wage per employee at 1,900 euros ($2,591) a month.
The cap was originally meant to apply just to civil servants but a last-minute change in the bill, which was submitted to parliament last week, also included profitable, state-controlled companies that are listed on the stock exchange, such as Hellenic Petroleum.
"The labour union suspended the strike," a senior company executive who declined to be named told Reuters.
A statement from the union representing workers at Hellenic Petroleum carried on the semi-state news agency ANA said the strike had been called off after officials made clear that the bill would not apply to the company.
"The government's bill exempts Hellenic Petroleum," it said. "In an extraordinary meeting, the union unanimously decided this afternoon to suspend the strike."
The wage cap is part of a new bout of austerity Greece wants to vote on before an EU leaders meeting planned for Oct. 23 to make up for falling behind on fiscal targets agreed with its international lenders as part of its ongoing bailout programme.