The National Confederation of Greek Traders (ESEE) said in a statement it planned to invite employer and labor union organizations to jointly raise the issue of the influx of Chinese traders and products into Western markets with the government, political parties and European and other international organizations “before the problem acquires explosive and irreversible dimensions.”

ESEE said action was needed against the unfair practices of the Chinese government, “which subsidizes the exportation of surplus population and production through unacceptable methods of social and economic dumping and by deliberately maintaining its currency as undervalued.” The problem of the well-organized and globally expanded illegal trade is of major political significance, concerns the entire developed world and exceeds the capabilities of the Greek government, ESEE added. It also called for an intensification of efforts to seize smuggled products and to clamp down on violations of labor legislation.

Separately, the Greek Supermarkets Enterprises Association (SESME) called for the intervention of the prime minister in revoking an amendment allowing the operation of food shops without time restrictions in Karaiskaki Stadium in Piraeus, now under construction. “The amendment, tabled suddenly and passed overnight, is sure to lead to a total circumvention of the opening hours now in force” and creates conditions annulling any sense of fair competition, said SESME. Its protest was prompted by unconfirmed reports that the measure would be extended to two other planned Athens stadiums for soccer clubs AEK and Panathinaikos.