AGONY FOR SURVIVAL OF TOBACCONISTS FROM VENDING MACHINES

VOLOS 28/04/2011
Doc. Ref: 476

TO MEDIA

AGONY FOR SURVIVAL OF TOBACCONISTS FROM VENDING MACHINES

Dear friends,

Most carcinoma we face as an industry is the presence of vending machines. We as Federation (O.P.K.E.) via our legal advisor we have sent a document and we have made several interventions in the media and of course we will send a new document and both the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Justice for the great scourge of vending machines. We dear friends and girlfriends called to be typical compared to the state and punished if they do not cut proof. But it is possible to orgy evasion through these machines and we remain indifferent? We will inform the Financial Crime to make inspections and to seize all these machines. Not talking about automatic cigarette machines where prohibited by law 3730 on minors where they have placed these machines at the same time with a simple complaint confiscated. Talking vending machines where products are chocolate,  refreshments, drinks, water, beer, coffee ready, condoms, sandwiches, croissants, milk, yogurt, fried potatoes, magazines etc. These machines dear friends and girlfriends work in mass areas such as schools, schools, factories, bus stations, trains, ports, and other stores such as OPAP agencies etc. and make evasion party because neither proof nor give no corresponding documents attesting what products were sold from vending machines. If the Government or Ministries not we take a final decision we decide to put our businesses vending machines and will go in the evening to place the products supplied and to take the money and even black. This carcinoma if not today then dealt there is no hope for any colleague in all sectors of us have sustainability. On 19 & 20 February 2011 I raised the issue of vending machines in Assembly G.S.E.V.E.E myself and asked for the immediate intervention of higher trade union. Also we have to mention that for some time without being racists have started a merciless war against the scourge of illegal trade. We accept continuous checks are legitimate because while these are immune. Can not dear friends and girlfriends to have double standard or all illegal or all legitimate. The same issue that we have raised in the Chamber of Magnesia and the Central Union of Chambers and of course we have updated and all the Greek parliament, once the Greek state needs to take political responsibility and of course we advocate and all parliamentary parties. Can not we humans toil and labor be called upon to pay such taxes and tax settlement and risk of unemployment and the state to wink at whirlwind illegal trade. In our thinking is to inform everyone and to commit them to take place. This predicament can not go on any longer, do not allow that we might be strangers in our land. We are Greeks and we demand the legality of all. Dear friends and girlfriends are all aware of the major problems we face as an industry and generally all SMEs. Margins have exhausted all patience we have to find a way to get out of the impasse. Therefore we inform you that to date across the country have closed 2,350 kiosks, we also mention that the whole industry is 46000. The 50% to 60% of our colleagues have an annual turnover of € 150000. 30% of our colleagues is below € 100000, and only 10% of our colleagues have a little sustainability in their business and that in large urban cities. We refuse to be victims of manipulation, we refuse to give away our work and our businesses, we refuse to be overcharged another in the banking system. We strive for a just and definitive solution. Dear friends and girlfriends small and medium sized businesses need our support and financial incentives in order to have a sustainable path.

THE PRESIDENT: Kogias Kostas
THE GENERAL SECRETARY: Gkouvinas Vasileios