No trains or suburban rail services today – Which routes will not operate

Trains and suburban rail services will remain suspended today, Friday (30/10), following a 24-hour strike called by the Panhellenic Federation of Railway Workers (POS) in support of its member union, the Panhellenic Union of Traction Personnel (PEPE), whose own strike had been declared illegal after Hellenic Train took the matter to court.

Among the demands put forward by the Panhellenic Union of Traction Personnel, which represents train drivers, are issues concerning railway safety, the condition of rolling stock, staff shortages and workforce management.

So far, services on the Athens–Thessaloniki, Athens–Lianokladi, Piraeus–Kiato, Athens–Chalkida, Piraeus–Airport, Thessaloniki–Larissa and Thessaloniki–Serres routes will not operate. There are also cancellations on other regional lines, including Alexandroupoli–Ormenio and Kiato–Aigio.

Hellenic Train: Such practices disrupt the smooth operation of rail services

For its part, Hellenic Train said in a statement that the new POS strike runs counter to a court ruling that declared the previous industrial action illegal, effectively signalling a new dispute over the legality of the strike.

According to the company, the Piraeus Single-Member Court of First Instance ruled the strike illegal because the legal procedures concerning minimum safety staffing and the strike demands had not been followed.

The company said that “the court ruling explicitly prohibited any future strike on the same grounds”, describing the action announced by the federation as an attempt to circumvent the court decision, one that disrupts railway operations and causes inconvenience to passengers.

Hellenic Train added that such practices, beyond the question of their legality, undermine the institutional role of the judiciary, disrupt the smooth operation of rail transport and cause serious disruption and inconvenience to passengers, who are once again being asked to bear the consequences of union action that, it said, does not comply with the conditions set out by law.

“We leave it to passengers to judge these specific union practices, which reveal the real attitude of the unions towards the travelling public. The decision to call another strike despite the earlier court ruling demonstrates that passenger inconvenience is being treated as an acceptable consequence of their union tactics,” the company said.

Safety is not negotiable

In response, the Panhellenic Union of Traction Personnel said in a statement that “safety is not negotiable”, stressing that Hellenic Train has refused meaningful dialogue for the past 17 months.

More specifically, train drivers have raised issues which, according to their statement, are directly linked to railway safety, referring among other things to the condition of rolling stock and facilities, the supervision of train drivers, training and the implementation of working rules, as well as “20 resignations by newly recruited train drivers, which reflect the situation prevailing in the workplace”.

The union accused the company of following a policy which “not only appears unable to reduce railway incidents, but on the contrary, they are increasing”, on a network that is operating below capacity, as only around 60% of normal rail activity is currently being carried out due to works for the installation and operation of safety systems.

“Instead of the management reflecting on the situation and seeking the real causes, it chooses to punish workers and avoid any meaningful discussion,” the statement said.

It continued: “Over the past three years, the company has almost never responded to similar invitations, while its communication with our union has, in many cases, taken place through exchanges of legal notices. Instead of dialogue, legal notices. Instead of solutions, disciplinary penalties. Instead of addressing safety problems in a meaningful way, court action.”

Immediate meeting with the political leadership of the Transport Ministry and the company’s management

Finally, the Panhellenic Federation of Railway Workers, acting as the secondary-level union body, announced the 24-hour strike, saying it was supporting PEPE after the latter’s own industrial action had been declared illegal.

In its statement, the federation referred to serious understaffing, significant shortages in key specialist roles, and growing needs for the maintenance and modernisation of facilities and rolling stock.

It stressed that the health and safety of both employees and passengers are non-negotiable priorities and cannot be guaranteed without adequate staffing, continuous training and modern infrastructure.

Finally, it called for an immediate meeting with the political leadership of the Ministry of Transport, with the company’s management also in attendance.