A strike will take place across the country on Friday 28 February to mark two years since the railway Tempi tragedy. In addition to the hundreds of protest gatherings organized by collectives, organizations and citizens’ movements, the country’s largest unions and labor federations have declared a 24-hour strike, calling on all workers in the country to be present in force.

The 24-hour strike on Friday will also be joined by the transport sector. As they stressed in a statement, the unions of STASY workers will participate in the demonstrations for the Tempi but the Metro, the electric and tram will operate for a few hours to make it easier for people to get to the rallies.

How the Metro and electric trains will operate on Friday (28/2)

According to the STASY Workers’ Unions, they will participate in the demonstrations for the Tempi protests, but the Metro, the electric and the tram will operate for a few hours in order to make it easier for people to get to the rallies.

They will only operate to facilitate the rally, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.

More specifically, in a joint statement, the STASY Employees’ Unions stress that they have decided to hold a 24-hour strike, however, the metro, the electric railway and the tram will be in operation from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, responding to the wish of the Association of “Victims of the 28/02/2023 Tempi Accident”.

In particular, they state “honoring the victims and their families, we participate and support the Panhellenic Strike on 28 February, as a sign of protest, memory and resistance! Responding to the wish of the Association of “Victims of the accident of 28/02/2023”, we participate in this mobilization on the one hand, and on the other hand we contribute to the largest possible turnout of people, with an intermediate “interruption” of the strike! Therefore, in order to facilitate the rally, on Friday 28-2-2025, trains will run from 9.00 in the morning to 17.00 in the afternoon.

At 11.00 a.m. on the same day, at Syntagma, we join the river of solidarity and protest of our fellow human beings! Because justice is administered in the courts but is won in the streets.”

The workers call on the company (STASY SA) to ensure the maximum service of the crowd and their smooth transition through the trains and the security services of STASY.

Strike on buses and trolleybuses

A 24-hour strike has been decided for Friday by bus and trolleybus workers.

The Trade Union of OASA Workers and the Union of ELPAP Workers demand-demand “No more Tempe, safe, modern, quality public urban transport” and invite their members to the rally at Syntagma.

Voluntary shifts to serve the protesters in taxis

For its part, the Attica Taxi Drivers’ Union has decided on a 24-hour strike.

The Board of Directors of the SATA “as a minimum tribute to the memory of the 57 people”, decided a 24-hour strike from 6 a.m. on Friday, February 28 to 6 a.m. on Saturday, March 1.

In the announcement of SATA it is noted that those drivers who want to participate in the voluntary social action “free” transport of citizens by taxi from predetermined points that will be announced in the next few hours. They should contact the cooperating Radio Taxi centers or the offices of SATA until Thursday, February 27, 2025.

“Two years… We don’t forget. We do not remain silent. We stand with the relatives of the victims. With all our soul. We honor the memory of the children who were lost and we demand JUSTICE,” says the Attica Taxi Drivers’ Syndicate.

24-hour strike by hospital employees & the Medical Associations of Athens and Piraeus

The Executive Committee of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees has decided to declare a 24-hour nationwide strike as part of the ADEDY strike on February 28. “Two years later and the Tempi accident remains unresolved and without accountability and punishment for those responsible,” POEDIN said.

Strike by GSEE and ADEDY and PNO

The Panhellenic Seafarers’ Federation and the Seafarers’ Family know first hand that it is vital to follow the rules and safety measures and also that when they are violated, the results are unfortunately similar to the Tempe or in maritime transport shipwrecks and especially in recent years as observed several fires on ships, counting many victims.

The Executive Committee of PNO at its meeting on 4 February 2025, having dealt extensively with the above issues, unanimously decided to declare a 24-hour nationwide strike in all categories of ships on 28 February 2025 from 00.01 to 24.00.

24-hour strike by air traffic controllers

Air traffic controllers have announced that they will participate in the 24-hour strike of the ADEDY, announced for February 28. According to the announcement, “the Board of Directors of the Union of Air Traffic Controllers of Greece calls on its members to participate in the 24-hour strike of ADEDY on Friday 28 February 2025 from 00.01 to 24.00.”

During the strike, according to the same announcement, only the following flights will be served to cover the basic needs of society:

-Flights overflying the Athens FIR.
-Flights carrying Heads of State, Prime Ministers.
-Flights of the Hellenic Air Force participating in operational missions and scheduled exercises.
-Flights of aircraft facing unusual situations or in an emergency situation.
-Hospital flights.
-Humanitarian aid flights.
-Flights of search and rescue aircraft.

Railroad workers are also pulling on the handbrakes

Rail workers have also announced their participation in the strike to mark the two-year anniversary of the Tempi rail accident on Friday 28 February 2025.

Specifically, as Hellenic Train reports, due to a 24-hour strike of railway workers, on Friday 28 February 2025, there will be no services on the entire railway network.

TRAINOSE

The Union of Employees of TRAINOSE Staff Union (SEP TRAINOSE) also announced its participation in the 24-hour nationwide strike to mark two years since the Tempi railway accident.

“28 February is for us a day of honour and remembrance. It is a day of remembrance, reflection and struggle and we do NOT GRANT THIS DAY TO ANYONE who, with their attitude and their exhortations to the citizens, try to abuse it, either to gain partisan benefits, or to build careers on the sheet metal and the lifeless bodies of our fellow citizens and colleagues, “say the workers in their statement, stating that “57 souls are asking for justice and 10 million citizens are asking for security.

A 24-hour nationwide strike on Friday, February 28, 2025, “the day of the black anniversary of the tragic accident of Tempi (from 00:01 to 24:00) of the staff employed in all companies” was also decided by the Board of Directors of the Panhellenic Federation of Railway Workers (POS) and Fixed-Track Vehicles (PST).

As stated in a relevant statement of the POS and MST, “February 28 will remain in our memory as a day of mourning… and thus will be commemorated…(as a minimum sign of respect to the memory of our 57 fellow human beings)”. According to the statement, the staff of POS and MST demands, among other things, “Justice for our injured colleagues and passengers of the accident of Tempi and immediate recruitment of permanent staff, since the tragic shortages in key specialties, make the smooth operation of passenger and commercial transport problematic, as the reality has proven with the tragic consequence of the loss of 57 people.”

The staff of the ambulance service is also on strike

In a statement, the Panhellenic Federation of EKAB staff also said it will participate in a strike on February 28.

“The Panhellenic Federation of EKAB Personnel is participating in the STRIKE on Friday 28/2/25 and calls on primary unions and EKAB workers to participate in the protest rallies that will be held throughout Greece. Two years after the train accident, the crime of Tempe remains unsolved and unpunished, with specific cover-up responsibilities coming to light every day. Privatisation and the systematic degradation of public transport, health, education, social goods based on profit, do not solve problems – they create them. We participate in the meetings, we unite our voices on the side of the victims’ relatives, demanding JUSTICE” says the Federation’s statement.

Pupils and students’ demonstrations for Tempi on Friday (28/02)

Students, pupils, teachers, academics are to be present at the protests for Tempe on Friday, February 28.

The Teachers’ Federation of Greece (Didactical Federation of Greece) and the Federation of Secondary Education Officers (OLME) have issued announcements, in which they call on teachers to take part in the all-worker – all-pallet strike of ADEDY, at 11.00, at Syntagma.

In addition, the Athens Students’ Coordinating Committee appeals to the 15-member Councils to hold occupations on 28/2 and to be present at the Constitution.

For its part, the Panhellenic Federation of Teaching and Research Staff Associations (POSSDEP) calls on the associations of faculty members to take part in the mobilizations.

Within the week and at the end of the winter examination period, assemblies are planned to take decisions on the participation of students in the Friday gathering.

Student Associations from the University of Athens, NTUA, NTUA, ASOEE, ASTOE, ASKT, PADA, ELMEPA, University of Crete, University of Peloponnese, University of Patras, University of Patras, AUTH, University of Ioannina, Ionian University, University of Thessaly, DUTH have already declared that they will respond to the call.

Catering closes for the strike on February 28

The most popular restaurants in Athens announced via social media that they will be closed on February 28, thus participating in the nationwide strike and mobilization for the one-year anniversary of the Tempi tragedy. Similarly, catering outlets across the country have announced that they will participate in the mobilization, closing partially or for specific hours on that day.

Nightclubs, theaters and cultural venues will not operate

As a tribute to the victims, many entertainment venues will be closed on the evening of Friday, February 28, while some artists are making announcements to this effect, declaring their presence in protest against the worst rail tragedy the country has ever known.

One of the nightclubs that have announced that they will not be open on Feb. 28 is Hotel Ermou, where Anna Vissi is performing.

Other musical acts of well-known artists will follow. Among them, those of Konstantinos Argyros, Kaitis Garbis with Dionysis Schinas, Antonis Remos with Despina Vandi, Natasha Theodoridou with Anastasia and Christos Mastoras with Eleni Foureira. The “MONALISA Music Hall”, where Katerina Lioliou sings, will also remain closed in Thessaloniki.

Many theaters will also be closed, as the Greek Actors’ Union is participating in the strike.