The KKE’s statement reads:

‘The KKE extends its sincere condolences to the family, colleagues and loved ones of the contract worker who lost his life at Motor Oil and hopes for a positive outcome for the second worker, who is currently fighting for his life.

‘This latest crime by employers once again demonstrates that workplaces have become “arenas of death” because of the criminal policies of the government and employers, who sacrifice workers’ safety on the altar of profit.

‘No one can speak of “bad moments” and “isolated incidents” any longer. Today’s employer crime adds to those at Violanta, in Aspropyrgos and in Examilia, Corinth, adding to the growing list of workers killed across dozens of workplaces. This is also the third serious incident at Motor Oil in recent years. In January 2020, a worker was killed in an explosion and three others suffered burns, while in September 2024, nine workers were injured.

‘According to complaints, smaller-scale incidents had occurred at Motor Oil in the preceding days, foreshadowing what was to come. Yet these incidents were deliberately covered up, and work continued as normal. Today, the employer’s audacity went so far as to demand that work resume as normal just 20 minutes after the explosion, as though nothing had happened!

‘This is a company recording enormous profits amid wars and energy poverty affecting ordinary people, with its net profits surging by 322% in the first half of 2026. Yet it cannot even guarantee the lives of its workers, demonstrating in practice what “Greece as an energy hub” means for workers and the people.

‘We demand a full investigation into the causes of today’s explosion and that those responsible be held accountable. Above all, the determined organisation of workers’ struggle for decent working conditions and health and safety measures, guided by the slogan “either their profits or our lives”, has literally become a matter of life and death. The KKE will be at the forefront of this struggle.’

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