Passenger movement today will be severely affected due to the participation of public transport workers in the 24-hour strike declared by GSEE, ADEDY, EKA, and PAME in protest against the labor bill, under the slogan:
“No to the 13-hour workday. Working time is not a commodity. It is our life.”
At the same time, unions demand measures against high prices, wage increases, and a solution to the housing crisis.

Thus, today, October 1st, buses and trolleybuses will run only from 9:00 in the morning until 9:00 in the evening, due to work stoppages (from the beginning of the shift until 09:00 and from 21:00 until the end of the shift).
Bus and trolleybus workers, in their statement, said they are fighting for safe, modern, and reliable transportation, demanding the immediate ability to sign Collective Labor Agreements, the reinstatement of Collective Law, the abolition of all anti-labor memorandum provisions, and substantial measures to combat high costs and profiteering.

Buses on routes assigned to the Athens Transport Consortium are expected to operate normally.

The Metro, Electric Railway (ISAP), and Tram will run from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. in order to facilitate the transportation of demonstrators to rallies.
In addition, due to the demonstrations and until their completion, Athens Metro stations at Syntagma and Panepistimio will be closed by police order (ELAS).

Cancellations will also affect railway and suburban train services due to the 24-hour strike announced by the Panhellenic Federation of Railway Workers.

Flights, however, will operate normally, as the strike announced by the Air Traffic Controllers Union was declared illegal.

Ships will remain docked at all ports throughout the day, as the Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation (PNO) has called a 24-hour strike.

The strike began at 00:01 and will end at 24:00 the same day, covering all categories of ships nationwide.

According to the seafarers’ union, the mobilization is triggered by the new labor ministry bill that increases the daily working time to 13 hours. PNO stresses that this measure essentially abolishes the historic balance of “8 hours work, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest”, creating serious problems for workers’ personal lives, health, and safety.

Taxis are also on strike: The president of SATA, Thymios Lyberopoulos, had already announced that taxi drivers would join the strike.

Hospital workers are also participating. In its statement, POEDIN highlights:
“The Public Health-Care System and EKAB (ambulance services) are at their limits due to severe staff shortages. Patients suffer, and health workers, under exhausting conditions, are struggling to provide safe services.”

Additionally, ministries, tax offices, local authorities, social security funds, urban planning offices, banks, and the tourism sector will operate at reduced capacity.

Where rallies will take place

Athens city center will remain closed in the morning due to demonstrations organized today, Wednesday, by GSEE, ADEDY, and EKA at Klafthmonos Square at 11:00 a.m., while PAME has called its members to rally half an hour earlier at Propylaea.

Teachers are also participating in the strike, meaning some classes in primary and secondary education will not take place. According to OLME’s announcement, teachers are protesting against the new labor bill that introduces 13-hour workdays, as well as ongoing cuts in public education, which have led to unprecedented gaps in schools. OIELE, the union of private educators, is also taking part.

The Athens Retail Employees’ Union has also decided to join the strike, demanding the withdrawal of the labor bill.

According to GSEE:

“With the proposed regulations for working time, the government shows it does not care about the balance between professional and personal life, nor about health and safety in the workplace. At the same time, assigning the regulation of working time to a paternalistic state ignores social dialogue, deliberately weakens free collective bargaining, and serves very specific employer interests. Greek employees, who already work more hours per year than any other EU counterparts and report overwhelming levels of work exhaustion, now face a dystopia. Enough is enough. We cannot endure more. Working time is not a commodity, it is our life!”

Meanwhile, ADEDY demands:

• The reinstatement of the 13th and 14th salary and wage increases
• Collective Labor Agreements in the public sector
• Abolition of the new disciplinary code
• Withdrawal of the 13-hour workday bill and implementation of a 35-hour, 5-day workweek for all workers