Massive Strike Action Planned – Everyone on the Streets,Everyone at the Rallies!

Unions and organizations across Greece are mobilizing to ensure a widespread strike on Friday, February 28th, marking the two-year anniversary of the Tempi train tragedy. They aim to turn the day into a mass demonstration of outrage and remembrance across the country.

With just a week left until the somber anniversary, the daily actions of labor centers, federations, and unions in both the private and public sectors are united under the slogan “Their profits or our lives.”

Thousands of workers are preparing to walk out of factories, warehouses, shops, construction sites, and offices to fill the streets and squares in dozens of cities. They will be joined by business owners who have decided to close their shops and participate in the rallies. Students and pupils are also preparing to flood the streets once again, uniting their voices with the other demonstrators, while pensioners will stand alongside their children and grandchildren.

Unions continue to carry the torch of the unprecedented mobilizations that erupted after the Tempi tragedy, as well as the large rallies held on January 26th. They persist in their fight to expose those truly responsible and the root causes of the disaster that claimed 57 lives. They have not forgotten the vow they made two years ago: to become “the voice of all the dead.”

They target the policies of successive governments and the EU, the actions of large corporations, and the pursuit of profit that led two trains to collide on the same track. They highlight the tragic consequences of policies that prioritize profit over human life, treating people’s needs as “costs” and their rights as “obstacles.” From workplace safety measures to public transport, schools, and free healthcare and education, they argue that every aspect of life is being turned into another “Tempi Valley.”

With the countdown to the strike underway, labor centers, federations, hundreds of unions, and grassroots organizations are working to transform the widespread anger into a powerful demonstration against these policies, organizing mass rallies and demonstrations across the country.

Specific locations and actions:

• Attica: Labor centers in Athens, Piraeus, and Lavrio-Eastern Attica have announced strikes. Numerous other labor centers across the country have also joined the call.
• Athens: The main rally will take place at 11 a.m. in Syntagma Square.
• Thessaloniki: Unions are calling for a gathering at 10:30 a.m. at the Venizelos Statue.
• Nationwide: The Federation of Greek Women (OGE) calls on all women to participate in the strike rallies. The Federation of IKA Pensioners calls for mass participation of pensioners and their associations. Various rallies and pickets are planned in Nea Ionia, Thessaloniki, and other areas.
• Transport: Railway workers’ unions have voted to strike, and ships will remain docked in ports as seamen have declared a 24-hour strike.
• Businesses: Federations and associations of self-employed workers and professionals across the country are calling for businesses to close and join the strike rallies. Numerous trade unions and local business associations have announced their participation.
• Students: Hundreds of student associations have announced their participation in the strike rallies, vowing to continue the fight for justice and against policies that prioritize profit over human life. The Federation of Parents of Attica also calls for mass participation

Source: pagenews.gr