Athens (EFE). – A massive 24-hour strike and demonstrations in Athens and other cities to demand justice for the train crash that left 57 dead will paralyze much of activity in Greece today.
Today’s work stoppage, called by ADEDI, the union of public officials, has been joined by maritime and urban transport workers, as well as doctors, teachers and actors, who in turn join the railway employees, who yesterday they completed their seventh consecutive day of strike to demand the modernization of the country’s railway.
Thus, it is expected that transport by ships, trains, buses and trolleybuses will be completely paralyzed, while metro and tram workers are also considering joining the strike, according to Greek media.
The demonstrations are expected to begin around noon in the center of Athens and other cities, which could overlap with the marches called for a few hours later on the occasion of Women’s Day.
In the call, published in a statement, ADEDI specified that the officials demand “that the privatization policies end” in the railway sector and “the true responsibilities for the homicidal crime be purged.”
57 dead and dozens injured in the train crash
In this way he was alluding to the biggest railway accident in the history of Greece, a frontal collision of two trains that on March 1 caused 57 deaths and dozens of injuries, mostly young students.
Twenty people injured in the accident, mostly university students, remain hospitalized, seven of them in intensive care.
According to the latest official information, 55 of the 57 deceased have been identified, while a woman continues to search unsuccessfully for her 23-year-old daughter.
Thousands of Greeks already took to the streets of the large Hellenic cities last weekend to demonstrate against the Government, which they accuse of negligence for not having implemented security measures on the railway that could have prevented the tragedy.
In the protests in Athens, violent incidents took place in front of the Parliament.
The leftist opposition party Syriza accused the conservative government of having “ordered” the police to launch tear gas against the demonstrators, who were mostly protesting peacefully.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis admitted on Sunday the lack of security measures and automated control systems on the rail network and asked for “a great forgiveness” from all Greeks.
The accident and the wave of public indignation that it has unleashed occurs a few weeks before the date that was expected for the next legislative elections, on April 9, although after the incident the authorities are studying postponing the elections to May, according to what they are considering today. various Greek media.