Hellas Gold and workers react to Greek gov’t decision on plan permit

Hellas Gold and its workers at the gold mine in Skouries, Halkidiki, have vowed to take legal action after the government announced on Friday that it would be recalling the permit for a processing plant on the site and reviewing the terms under which it was issued.

Sources at the company told Kathimerini that they would challenge the government’s decision at the Council of State, which has already rejected three appeals against the gold mine.

The workers, meanwhile, issued a statement insisting that they would launch a “relentless struggle until the end.”

The Energy Ministry said that it took the decision after complaints that the details regarding the processing plant’s size, as well as other features, based on which the permit was issued are incorrect.

It also said that its decision was aimed at protecting the “environment and national interest.”

In their statement, the workers said they would only communicate directly with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras from now on as they claim they had been assured by Energy Minister Panayiotis Lafazanis that he would not take any action before meeting with them in person.