Greek Rail Workers Announce More Work Stoppages

Railway services in Greece will not operate from Monday, July 18, until Wednesday, July 20, as employees of the Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) are protesting against the privatization of Greek railway operator TRAINOSE, the company that operates all passenger and freight trains on OSE lines.

The rail workers launched a series of work stoppages after Greece’s privatization agency TAIPED announced Italy’s state railway company Ferrovie dello Stato as the “preferred investor” for the acquisition of TRAINOSE for 45 million euros.

The rail workers are also demanding the signing of a collective labor contract.

Services to be affected by the strike include those of intercity trains and of the Proastiakos suburban railway (in Athens, Thessaloniki and Patra), as well as the routes to and from Athens International Airport (metro line 3 – blue line – will operate only from Doukisis Plakendias station to Agia Marina station and vise versa). Freight trains will be not operate until Thursday, July 21.

The workers will meet on Thursday to decide further action.