Greece is gearing up for a tremendous nationwide strike on Friday, February 28. Following several months of sectoral strikes, a nationwide strike on November 20, and large-scale, coordinated protests held across the country on January 26 and February 7, this upcoming strike is expected to bring Greece to a complete standstill. Over the past period, one after another, major unions across all economic sectors have announced their decision to call a strike on February 28 and a few days ago, the country's highest federation representing private-sector workers also confirmed its support.
The strike, endorsing permanent demands for Collective Labor Agreements with wage increases and funding for health and education, has been declared on the occasion of the second anniversary of the tragic head-on collision of two trains in Tempi, which resulted in the loss of 57 lives and has since remained an extremely hot issue in the country's political scene.
Syntagma Square, the central square of Athens, during the protest of January 26.
Under the central slogan "Either their profits or our lives," labor unions are demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deadly accident, denouncing the government for attempting to conceal its responsibilities, and calling for substantial reinforcements to the railway infrastructure to ensure that such a disaster is never repeated. In addition, they are pushing for improved safety regulations across all workplaces, highlighting data from the Labor Inspection Authority, which reports that in Greece, a worker dies on the job every three days.
The strike is expected to have a major impact on the production and distribution of fruits and vegetables, as numerous key labor federations have already announced their participation. These include the Panhellenic Federation of Foodstuffs, Milk, and Beverage Workers, the union representing employees in the hotels, restaurants, and catering industries of Athens, the Panhellenic Maritime Federation, the union of dockworkers in the biggest port of Greece, Piraeus, the Hellenic Air Traffic Controllers Association, and the Panhellenic Federation of Railway Workers. Only due to the air traffic controllers' strike, more than 500 domestic and international flights and over 100,000 passengers will be affected. No aircraft will take off or land at any Greek airport on Friday.
The strike rallies, which have been scheduled in almost 90 cities across Greece, have also gained significant support from various social groups. University student associations, high school student organizations, and multiple small business federations have all expressed their decision to participate. Moreover, farmers' unions, which have been staging protests by setting up roadblocks with their tractors on the country's national highways for the past five weeks, have also called for strong participation in the demonstrations.