A 24-hour strike will halt all public transportation in Athens on Wednesday as workers’ unions will participate in the industrial action called for by the Athens Labor Centre (ΕΚΑ).
Facilities affected will include the: Athens Metro, Athens Green Line Train (Line 1), trams, trolleys, and buses. Other organizations may decide to join the 24-hour strike without prior warning.
Public transportation staff strike to retain permanent contracts
Strikers said that the finance ministry’s new bill on public utility companies, which will be voted on in Parliament on Wednesday practically abolishes full-time work and permanent contracts.
They also allege that the bill will likely promote the government’s plans to privatize public infrastructure and lead to the dissolving of labor unions among other things.
“Ιt is imperative to maintain the public nature of public utility companies and to protect the jobs and working conditions of the staff who must be employed in these key positions, on full-time work and permanent contracts,” a statement by EKA reads.
“It is impermissible to further degrade the operational collective agreements in these companies, at a time when, in the European Union, a draft directive is already in the works with which the Member States are obliged to strengthen sectoral and cross-sectoral collective bargaining as an essential factor for the protection of employees,” it adds.
A rally is scheduled at noon outside the finance ministry.
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