A 24-hour strike over the fatal injury of a ferry seaman blocked ferries at the main Greek port of Piraeus on Thursday, the coastguard and a union said.
The coastguard said the strike was affecting all ferries out of Piraeus to the Aegean islands and Crete.
A few services were still available to the Saronic islands, a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP.
Seamen’s union PEMEN said a 20-year-old engine maintenance worker had been fatally crushed by a bulkhead door on a Rhodes ferry on Wednesday.
The union initially blocked that vessel before calling for an overall strike at Piraeus port.
“Until the incident is investigated, the ship will not leave Piraeus,” PEMEN said.
Another seaman was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after being electrocuted during maintenance work onboard an Adriatic Sea ferry.
All Greek ferries will be confined to port on October 1 in a general strike over plans to introduce a 13-hour working day.
The country’s conservative government insists the measure is optional but opposition parties and unions argue that workers will risk layoffs if they refuse longer hours.
Source: AFP
