-
- A glas of water, Thessaloniki
Since 2012, secret negotiations under the name of TiSA (Trade in Services Agreement) are running between the United States, the European Union and other 21 countries. The aim of TiSA is the privatization and deregulation of services (water, energy, education, health and finance).
Is Greece the guinea pig by now?
The TROIKA sets as a condition for handing out loans the demand for the privatization of Greek state property to the value of 50 billion euros.
Once it became known that the water supply in Athens and Thessaloniki was affected, the K136 action group is started in Thessaloniki. (If one devides the value of the water works in Thessaloniki by the number of water meters, i.e. the customers, the resulting figure is 136 euros).
98 percent of the citizen voted in an unofficial referendum against the privatization of water supply in Thessaloniki in spring 2014. The turnout was 60 percent.
This self-organized referendum was a novelty in the Greek history. Afterwards, the plans for water privatization were stopped in summer 2014.
England provides a good example to demonstrate the impact of water privatization:
Under Thatcher's government the public water supply companies are privatized in 1989.
The price of water rose by more than 50 percent in the following four years alone.
At the same time, the profits of the private operators doubled and the salaries of the top managers rose by 50 to 200 percent. Necessary investments were reduced or stopped and numerous employees lost their jobs.
It is believed that in London alone over 30 percent of the drinking water seeps away due to ailing pipes in the ground.
Water quality and customer service of the water companies deteriorated.
Instead of competition, a private monopoly was created.
<< >>
