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Athens public transport strikes continue. Trade unions officials announced their plans for protests next week and it became clear they won’t be over soon.  

We should go so far as to be out on hunger strike in order employees’ demands to be met, said an electric train driver during the general meeting of the employees’ union held at Imperial Hotel. His speech was meant a joke by the other employees but the same speaker said that it is necessary to protest outside the Ministry of Transport or the Parliament so as to be seen. The leaders of the electric train employees’ union were not satisfied with the fact that the majority of their colleagues had not attended the afternoon meeting. "The situation is difficult and the presence of employees at today's meeting is not encouraging," said Levteris Renieris of the managing board of the union of electric train employees. He added that the main demand of electric train employees should not relate only to their employment rights. According to him, public opinion should be drawn in support of strikers with emphasis on ticket price increase as of February and the reduction of city trains routes, which would directly affect passengers.

"Following the example of the state railway company a draft is being prepared that will merge departments, relocate employees, not to mention dismissals, cancel the collective agreements and working regulations. It will allow private companies to operate and increase ticket prices," said Nikos Siapatis - president of the union of ISAP employees (the city train in Athens). "We want to get fixed costs and rail means of transport to become a joint company. We do not want private companies to enter, nor to abolish collective agreements, nor to abolish working regulations, nor to reduce wages and allowances," said Siapatis.
 
"We have been on strike for 170 hours in the last month... It is certain that if we stand to  February or March there will be political responses... ISAP tried and reduced its deficit with our support and the company’s costs currently are 80 million euros while the revenues are 70 million euros. We have also improved our services and will show it. We will make joint press conference to Thursday to give all the answers," said Paris Papaconstantinou - secretary of the union of ISAP employees. " The company can be profitable even now as we consider that 40% of the passengers do not punch tickets," said Levteris Renieris, who said that there is no need to increase ticket prices. According to the draft, tickets will be sold and controlled inside the vehicles but according to Mr. Renieris this is unnecessary expense as well as the second driver in motor cars.

"Transport will remain public," said the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Dimitris Repas on SKY TV in response to the fears the employees expressed during the meetings. The Minister also said that employees relocation is necessary as it is proven that they are useless at the current positions. "Relocations should be considered new appointments," noted Minister Repas, adding that employees will keep their jobs in the public sector and should appreciate it. "We must have modern transport and our position is responsible. We will wave no finger to workers and they will not wave their fist to the society," the Minister added.
 

Schedule of strikes:

Bus drivers will stop work between 11.00 am and 3.30 pm on Tuesday afternoon. Trolleys will not run between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm, and the electric train will not run between 12.00 am and 4.00 pm.

Electric train employees said they will not sell tickets and control passengers from the beginning of their shift to 8.00 am on Tuesday.

Subway and trams will run on Tuesday.

The electric train will stop work for 24 hours on Wednesday. The subway will be closed from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm and from 8.00 pm until the end of the evening shift.

Buses will not run between 11.00 am and 3.30 pm, trolleys will not run between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm, and trams will not run from 12.00 am to 4.00 pm.

Buses, trolleys, trams and subway employees announced 24-hour strike on Thursday, while the electric train will run between 12.00 am and 4.00 pm. Public transport employees will be on rally and demonstration on Syntagma.  

The protests will continue next week as the buses staff decided not to work on Monday (January 17), Wednesday (January 19) and Thursday (January 20) between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm. Trams will not run on Monday (January 17) between 11.00 am and 3.00 pm while  subway employees are hesitating whether to go on indefinite strike if the Ministry of Transport does not initiate dialogue with them. There will be rally in support of public transport at Propilea on Panepistimiou Avenue at 6.00 pm on January 12.  

Strikers have asked the government to let the passengers use the public transport facilities without tickets in the days of the strikes to be off set in some way but there was no positive response. It should be noted that transport facilities will not run at least half an hour before the start of strikes and a half hour after their end as it takes time to stop the vehicles or put them into motion.