On Feb. 28, 2023, two trains traveling along the same track collided in Greece, killing 57 people—many of them students in their teens and 20s returning home from university in Athens. The deaths of 11 workers in the crash sparked two 24-hour strikes from the railway unions, followed by demonstrations across the country that have lasted for weeks and mobilized tens of thousands of people. Workers blame the crash on a lack of properly functioning safety and communication systems, as well as severe understaffing and underfunding of the railways—all originating from “Troika” (EU, IMF, and ECB) structural adjustment imposed on Greece in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Since 2010, Greek railroads have lost 3500 workers, a third of the rail network has been closed, and mass privatization has swept the industry. TRNN reports from Greece as workers and students march to demand all essential social services such as transportation and education are made free and placed under social and workers’ control. This video is part of a special Workers of the World series on the cost of living crisis in Europe.
Read the transcript here: https://therealnews.com/massive-anti-government-protests-sweep-greece-after-train-crash-kills-57-people
Producer: Christos Avramidis
Videography: Vasilis Vittas
Translation: Danai Maltezou
Video editor: Leo Erhardt
Additional Footage: Aris Chatzistefanou, Kostas Papantoniou, Facebook Chris Avramidis, Alexandros Gasteratos, Tony Rigopoulos
This story, with the support of the Bertha Foundation, is part of The Real News Network’s Workers of the World series, telling the stories of workers around the globe building collective power and redefining the future of work on their own terms: https://therealnews.com/workers-of-the-world
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** (Disclaimer: This video content is intended for educational and informational purposes only) **
