Greek air traffic controllers to join general strike on anniversary of fatal rail crash

ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s air traffic controllers said Thursday they will join a nationwide general strike called to demand justice for the victims of the country’s worst rail disaster two years ago.

The air controllers’ participation in the Feb. 28 strike, called by labor unions representing public and private sector workers, is expected to ground all commercial passenger flights heading to and from Greek airports.

The air traffic controllers' union said during the 24-hour work stoppage staff would handle only certain types of flights, including medical and search and rescue services, humanitarian aid and military flights, and emergencies.

In the past, courts have often declared the participation of air traffic controllers in general strikes as illegal.

The latest strike has been timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the rail disaster in which 57 people were killed at Tempe, northern Greece, in a head-on collision between a freight train and a passenger train. The crash on Feb. 28, 2023, exposed shortcomings in safety equipment in Greece’s railway system and led to the resignation of the transport minister.

But the official handling of the disaster has been criticized, with public anger over delays in the inquiry and allegations of a cover-up that the government strongly denies. Some have alleged the freight train had been carrying dangerous chemicals that ignited, producing an intense fire that killed many of the victims.

Mass protests were held last month following a call by the relatives of victims, many of whom had been university students returning to classes after a public holiday.