Strike at Chinese COSCO-run Greek dock called off

A rare strike called at a Greek container terminal run by Chinese shipping giant COSCO has been called off, a union official said on Saturday.
Around 150 workers at the main port of Piraeus had on Friday said they would strike until Monday to demand back pay and improved labour conditions.
But on Saturday, the head of the federation of Greek port employees (Omyle), George Georgakopoulos, told AFP that agreement had been reached on some of the workers' demands and "the strike is called off."
The workers' grievances included low wages, not being allowed to unionise and unclear employment rules on the dock.
In 2008, as Greece plunged into a deep debt crisis, COSCO signed a 35-year concession to expand the two main container terminals at Piraeus. It plans to invest $230 million (170 million euros) in expansion works by 2020.
COSCO's involvement in Piraeus is one of Greece's top privatisation deals, and successive governments have courted Beijing for further investment as it labours to pull out of a six-year recession.
Greece and China last month signed investment and trade deals worth $6.5 billion (4.8 billion euros) during an official visit by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang.