Athens public transport staff have announced more strike action from Tuesday until Thursday, including work stoppages and 24-hour strikes.
On Tuesday and Wednesday there will be a work stoppage by buses from 11:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and by trolley buses from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Both buses and trolley buses will hold a 24-hour strike on Thursday.
The ISAP electric railway will be on strike on Tuesday from noon until 4:00 p.m. and ISAP staff are also planning a 24-hour strike on Wednesday and another work stoppage from noon until 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. In addition, ISAP staff will not be selling or checking tickets from the beginning of their shift until 8:00 a.m.
The Athens metro will run normally on Tuesday and a decision is still pending on whether there will be strike action on Wednesday and Thursday. Apparently there is disagreement among metro trade unionists, with the SELMA staff association announcing after a General Assembly on Monday that it intends to take part in work stoppages and a 24-hour strike on Thursday.
SELMA has also sought a meeting with the Infrastructure, Transport and Networks ministry leadership and warned that, if this cannot take place, the union will be begin a series of rolling 24-hour strike from next Monday.
Strike action by public transport workers is likely to continue in the following week, with the managements of various transport organisations resorting to the courts to have the strikes declared abusive and illegal.
Transport minister Dimitris Reppas said that a draft bill on reorganising public transport will be discussed and approved at the next cabinet meeting while criticising public transport staff for continuing their strikes, noting that these mainly affected the less affluent members of the public.
He appeared opposed to the prospect of a civil mobilisation to force public transport staff back to work, saying that this was not a measure to be used "on a daily basis" and contrary to the policies that the government wished. He hinted, however, that the ministry had more than one back-up plan in the case that the strikes continued.
(ANA)
