Piraeus commercial port to suspend operations on 28 February for Tempi anniversary

On the same day, operations at the commercial port of Piraeus are also expected to be suspended, as port workers from the PPA and Cosco have announced strike action.

In a statement, the PNO said both the federation and the wider maritime community know first-hand how vital strict compliance with safety rules and measures is. It added that when those rules are violated, the consequences are tragic, pointing to multiple examples of accidents in maritime, land and air transport. The federation said the strike is intended as a tribute to colleagues and to all people who have lost their lives in similar accidents.

The Port Workers’ Union (PPA) said it will also take part in the rally planned for Saturday at 12 noon in Syntagma Square, which has been called by unions and bodies from both the public and private sectors. It said the central demand is justice for the Tempi disaster, in which 57 people died.

The union said last year’s mass rallies left a clear message: ‘No to covering up responsibilities and perpetrators – justice for the crime in Tempi.’ It placed significant responsibility on the government both for the circumstances and causes of the disaster and for allegations of concealment of information from the scene, as well as for how the case has been handled in public communication. It called on the judiciary to investigate and bring to light every aspect of the tragedy.

In a similar statement, ENEDEP, the Cosco dockworkers’ union, said 28 February marks three years since the ‘crime in Tempi’, which it argued was not an accident but the result of political choices. It said those choices, in its view, continue to expose workers to fatal workplace accidents and dockworkers in Piraeus to serious injuries. ENEDEP said real vindication for Tempi, for those killed at work and for injured colleagues at the port, will come only through strengthening the struggle against the policies that, it said, produce such tragedies.

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