An Athens first instance court on Wednesday ruled a 24-hour strike, set for Thursday, by the union representing staff at Hellenic Train, essentially Greece’s only nationwide passenger rail provider, as illegal.
The strike was declared earlier in the week by the union, known by its Greek-language acronym PEPE.
As such, national rail services are expected to take place as scheduled on Thursday.
The management of Hellenic Train, the successor of formerly state-run TrainOSE and now a fully owned subsidiary of Italy’s FS, had sought legal recourse to prevent the industrial action. The company’s main argument against the strike is that demands by the union – i.e. greater safety measures and rail system upgrades – mostly fall under the jurisdiction of state-run Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE).
A previous strike affecting rail service in the country and declared by other unions was ruled as legal by the courts.
The Athens metro lines and the suburban rail network extending from the greater Athens-Piraeus area are still managed by state organizations.
