ATHENS, June 24 (Reuters) - OTE, southeast Europe's biggest telecoms company, held its annual shareholder meeting on an Athens pavement on Wednesday, after workers blocked its gates to protest against Deutsche Telekom's growing stake in the firm.
In an impromptu meeting outside OTE's headquarters lasting about five minutes a handful of shareholders representing more than 50 percent of the share capital summarily approved the company's 2008 results, a Reuters reporter witnessed.
They were met with angry slogans from about 20 worker unionists who were blocking the gates a few metres away, trying to spray OTE management and shareholders with bottled water.
"That's a mockery," unionist Stathis Anestis told Reuters after the end of the open-air meeting. One OTE shareholder stood by, bewildered: "That's it? Is it over?," said Athanassios Arabatzis.
OTE workers are protesting against the Greek government's plan to sell a further 5 percent of the operator to Deutsche Telekom. DT would then become OTE's biggest shareholder with a 30 percent stake.
"Our toil won't become Deutsche Telekom's profit," a union banner read. Greece and Deutsche Telekom own a combined 50 percent of OTE. (Reporting by Harry Papachristou; Editing by Greg Mahlich)