Workers at the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) and the Thessaloniki Port Authority (OLTH) are due to go on strike to protest privatisation plans on Thursday, prompting fears of a prolonged period of inactivity at the ports.

In 2008, stevedores in Piraeus were involved in a 14-month period of protest action in a bid to prevent the sale of a container terminal to Chinese giant COSCO. It led to OLP losing 55 million euros in revenue.

The port workers are due to begin rolling 48-hour strikes on Thursday, Greek news portal EKathimerini reports. They are also demanding the renewal of their collective contracts.