Strike: No taxis across the country – How long will the protests last

Taxi drivers have initiated new strike actions, with drivers in Attica halting operations for three days, while the rest of the country will experience a two-day strike.

Specifically, in an announcement, S.A.T.A. informed that the three-day taxi strike in Attica began yesterday, Tuesday (February 17), and will continue today, Wednesday (February 18), and Thursday (February 19).

The strike in Attica started at 6:00 AM on Tuesday and will last until 6:00 AM on Friday.

Additionally, a nationwide strike starts today, Wednesday (February 18) at 6:00 AM and will continue until Thursday (February 19) at 6:00 AM.

“The presidency of S.A.T.A. decided to support the actions announced by the Federation in a coordinated two-day strike, which we will maintain. Attica will have a strike on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with specific actions. On Wednesday (February 18), there will be a protest from Agias Annas towards the Airport, and on Thursday (February 19), we will hold the largest possible gathering, where we will again go to Maximos Mansion to protest,” stated S.A.T.A. president, Thymios Lymberopoulos.

S.A.T.A.’s Main Demands:

1. Extension of the mandatory transition of taxis to electric vehicles.
2. Immediate withdrawal of Article 52 from the amending bill, which severely impacts the industry. All provisions in this article disproportionately favor rental cars with drivers (E.I.H.). S.A.T.A. demands that these provisions not be included in the final text to be submitted to Parliament.
3. Introduction of a general-use criminal record for the issuance or renewal of taxi driver licenses.

Taxi Federation Announcement

The Taxi Federation announced its decision for a two-day nationwide strike today, Wednesday, and Thursday, February 18 and 19.

As they mentioned:

“On Sunday, February 15, a Sectoral Council was held in Athens with the participation of most unions and radio taxis across the country.

The presidency of the Taxi Federation requested, as required by the statute, due to the seriousness of the issues, particularly regarding the legislative process of the amending bill by the Ministry of Transport, to convene the Council in order to provide a strong opinion on further actions and protests by the sector.

In a very united atmosphere, with sector leaders from across the country reacting to specific articles of the bill, it was unanimously decided to intensify the sector’s struggle through decisions by the Federation and local management of actions by each union until the desired outcome is achieved. Specifically:

A 48-hour nationwide strike has been decided for Wednesday and Thursday, February 18 & 19, with targeted actions in each area.

Through regular meetings, the Federation’s Board will decide on further actions depending on the progress of the bill’s procedures, culminating in protests during the committee discussions in Parliament and peaking on the days of the vote.

We demand:

• Extension of the electric vehicle requirement in Athens and Thessaloniki.
• Abolition of Article 52 and provisions that reduce the minimum fare for cars with drivers, and the removal of the return-to-base requirement, along with the imposition of pre-booking for island areas.
• A change in the criminal record from judicial to general-use.
• The Federation’s leadership has received strong instructions from all unions and radio taxis across the country to fight for the sector’s legitimate demands in the coming days until the desired results are achieved.”