Greek unions call for strike over deaths on trains

ATHENS (AP) — A strike called Thursday in Greece in response to last month’s rail tragedy has forced the suspension of flights and disrupted services, and protests are expected to take place later in the day in cities across the country.

The strike also left transshipments to Greek islands moored in ports, reduced staff at public hospitals to the bare essentials, suspended public transport and canceled classes at public schools.

The unions joined the associations of railway workers, who have been on continuous strikes since the head-on collision between two trains which left 57 dead and dozens injured in the north of the country on February 28.

The government, which will face legislative elections before the summer, says services will be restored on March 22 and will gradually return to normal until April 11. In addition, additional staff will monitor the mandatory speed reduction for safety reasons on certain sections of road.

Prime Minister’s centre-right executive Kyriakos Mitsotakis has seen his solid lead in the polls shrink in recent weeks in favor of his main rival, the left-wing Syriza party. Both sides are locked in an ideological debate over how to reform Greece’s antiquated rail network.

Mitsotakis promised more transparency in the relationship between the privatized services and the authorities that oversee them, and called on experts from the European Union to help shape the changes. The opposition alleges that the dismantling of state-controlled agencies, which was mishandled, compromised safety on trains.