Riot police remove striking metro workers from Athens train depot

Riot police moved in at about 4 a.m. on Friday to remove protesting public transport worker from the metro’s main depot in Athens.

The operation led to dozens of transit employees being removed from the depot in Sepolia and, according to reports, two people being detained.

The government announced on Thursday that it would be issuing civil mobilization orders to end a strike by metro workers, which had lasted for eight days.

The orders mean that transit employees face arrest and a prison sentence if they fail to return to work.

Authorities began delivering papers to some 2,500 employees that work on the Athens metro, tram and electric railway on Thursday evening.

There were reports on Friday morning that some workers had clocked in for work. However, Athens is not expected to have any public transport on Friday as all transit union have declared 24-hour strikes.

As of 8 a.m. on Friday, riot police maintained a strong presence at the Sepolia depot, with hundreds of protesters gathering outside.

Source: ekathimerini.com