Nationwide strike on Tuesday, December 16 – Who is participating, what will happen to public transport

A 24-hour nationwide strike by public sector employees will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, December 16, 2025, called by ADEDY, coinciding with the parliamentary vote on the 2026 state budget.

As decided at ADEDY’s 39th Congress, the strike is being held “against the New Democracy government’s budget.”

At the same time, full solidarity was expressed with the farmers’ mobilizations and the roadblocks set up across the country, while a call was issued to take to the streets for strike rallies organized by federations, labor centers, and trade unions. Employees in local government and educators are participating in the strike.

The Panhellenic Federation of Employees in Local Government Organizations (POE-OTA), in a statement, is calling on all workers to take part in the 24-hour nationwide strike and the protest rally at Syntagma Square at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday.

The federation stresses that borrowing policies are not a solution but merely postpone problems, with residents paying higher municipal fees without corresponding improvements in services. In addition, key social services are gradually being handed over to contractors and private interests, placing a burden on both workers and citizens.

Workers are therefore calling for a protest rally, demanding:

• Pay rises and decent wages
• Mass hiring of permanent staff
• Adequate funding for municipalities
• Preservation of social services as a public good
• Repeal of the Voridis provision
• Permanent contracts for temporary workers
• Measures against high prices and economic exhaustion

At the same time, the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) is proceeding with a symbolic shutdown of municipalities nationwide on Tuesday, December 16, and is also calling elected local officials to a protest rally outside Parliament on that day.

The main demand of the mobilization is increased state funding for municipalities, under the message “Financially Strong Municipalities, Always by the Citizen’s Side.”

As KEDE President Lazaros Kyrizoglou notes, “the participation of all elected local officials in the December 16 mobilization outside Parliament sends a strong message in every direction of unity and determination by first-level local government to claim permanent and sustainable solutions to the major problems that have long plagued the operation of municipalities across the country.”

For its part, the Federation of Secondary Education Teachers (OLME) announced that educators will participate in the 24-hour strike called by ADEDY, firmly refuting reports to the contrary. Participation has also been announced by EINAP.

How Public Transport Will Operate

Regarding public transport, there has so far been no official announcement on whether and how employees will participate in the strike. Clarifications are expected later today, with the possibility of a work stoppage or strike still open.

It is noted that, regardless of Tuesday’s strike, bus workers will hold a work stoppage on Wednesday, December 17, in order to hold their Electoral and Accountability General Assembly.

The work stoppage will not affect bus services on suburban routes in eastern and western Attica. On other routes, buses will stop operating from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The last routes are expected to run before 10:00 a.m., with services resuming after 6:00 p.m.

The work stoppage was called by the OASA Workers’ Union. The Union of Hospital Doctors of Athens and Piraeus (EINAP) has also announced its participation in the nationwide general strike on December 16.