GSEE, ADEDY call 24-hour national strike on Thursday over Tempi train crash

The General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE), representing private sector employee unions, has called a 24-hour strike on Thursday (March 16), it said during its congress on Sunday. 

GSEE, which is wrapping up its four-day annual congress, will also hold a rally at Syntagma Square for 11:00 am the same day with the motto "All lives matter".

"For all workers of Greece, the in-depth investigation and the attribution of accountability, as well as the implementation of measures to prevent having to mourn over lost human lives, is a key demand by society and will be the focus of our strike action," it said in a statement on Sunday. 

It added that responsibilities of governments and the systematic undermining of railroad infrastructure also highlights the loss of lives of employees who died at work accidents in recent years. 

"For the Federation, the three basic questions that should directly be answered are as follows: How did we get to this tragedy? Who is responsible? How can we prevent it from happening again?," it said.

The train is a means of travel that "mostly serves the transport of workers, young people, poor people, and people with low or non-existent income. The state has an obligation, if nothing else, to guarantee basic things: safety in travel and high-quality service," GSEE underlined.

ADEDY strike

On Saturday evening, the federation of public sector employees (ADEDY) also called a 24-hour strike on Thursday, March 16, over the deadly Tempi train collision accident.

The national strike will affect public entitities and services.

In a statement over the strike, ADEDY demanded that those who are truly guilty over the train accident should be found and made accountable, while the privatizations and the operation of public services on private business criteria, which puts profit over people, should end.

"The Tempi crime will not be covered up. We demand the life we deserve, a life with contemporary rights, and a better future for us and our children," a statement said.ADEDY 

AMNA