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The wave of railway strikes in Greece continues

The wave of railway strikes in Greece continues
photo: EPA/The wave of railway strikes in Greece continues
07 / 03 / 2023

Tragic train accident in Greece has its reverberations. Rail workers’ union strike and citizens within whole Greece gather on anti-government protests.

The Greek rail workers consistently strike after the tragic train crash, which happened on February 28. The rail route between Athens and Thessaloniki was temporarily suspended. Railway workers’ union have extended the strike on behalf of long-term shortcomings of security systems. Moreover, the accident unleashed anti-government protests through whole country, demanding better safety standards on the rail network.

The rail employee, who was on duty on the day of the accident, is currently held in custody and is charged with involuntary manslaughter and may be sentenced to imprisonment of 10 years to life. The station master confessed, that he set a switch incorrectly and it let to head-on collision of passenger train with freight.

Railway workers’ union claim, that accident was caused by long-time cost-cutting and under-investment, which is consequence of financial crisis that affected Greece from 2010 to 2018. According to words of EU President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, European Union will provide technical support to Greece to help modernize its railways and improve safety.

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