A one-day general strike shut down trains, ferries, flights, schools, and medical services in Greece Feb. 28. The strike was called by the General Confederation of Greek Workers and the public sector trade union federation ADEDY and took place on the second anniversary of a disaster in which a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train, killing 57. It came after an investigation found the accident was caused by delays in installing electronic signaling and remote surveillance systems, and by chronic understaffing and underfunding resulting from government austerity.
The strike was accompanied by demonstrations in more than 300 cities, including one in the capital of Athens in which the crowd was estimated at 180,000. Protesters called for rail safety to be improved and those at fault in the crash to be punished.
