Greece is bracing for a major strike on Wednesday (21/10), with a nationwide education rally taking place alongside mobilizations by hospital doctors and public sector workers, who are participating in work stoppages and protest gatherings in Athens, Thessaloniki, and other cities across the country. Strikes, work stoppages, and demonstrations have been scheduled, with the mobilizations expected to affect the operation of schools and public transport. Meanwhile, the Greek Police (ELAS) are on full alert, with security measures already in place since Tuesday evening (20/10).
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Who is participating in the October 21 strike
Teachers, university students, and school pupils will take to the streets, while public sector employees and hospital doctors will also join the mobilizations. Specifically:
Primary school teachers and kindergarten educators: The Teachers’ Federation of Greece (DOE) has called a 24-hour strike, urging primary education teachers to participate in the rallies.
Secondary school teachers: OLME has announced a three-hour work stoppage from 11:00 to 14:00. It has also called on local teacher associations (ELME) to declare a supplementary stoppage from 08:00 to 11:00, in order to facilitate participation in the demonstrations.
POSEEPEA: Special education support staff will participate in the rally at the Propylaea in Athens at 12:00.
Hospital doctors: The Federation of Hospital Doctors’ Unions of Greece (OENGE) has called a nationwide strike, with key demands including salary increases, the reinstatement of the 13th and 14th monthly salaries, and the hiring of permanent staff at public hospitals.
Public sector workers: ADEDY has announced a nationwide work stoppage from 11:00 until the end of the working day, allowing employees to participate in the protest gatherings.
Coordinating Pensioners’ Organizations: They have called for a gathering at 10:00 at Ethnikis Antistasis Square (Kotzia), with a march toward the Ministry of Health.
Panhellenic Union of Temporary Staff of the Ministry of Culture: A gathering has been scheduled for 10:30 outside the Ministry of Culture, at 20 Bouboulinas Street.
Student unions and school pupils are also participating in the mobilizations for public education, with actions beginning on Tuesday (20/10).
Strike: Where the rallies will take place
The central nationwide education rally in Athens is scheduled for 12:00 at the Propylaea, with the participation of teachers’ unions and ADEDY. The latter’s work stoppage will begin at 11:00 and last until the end of the shift.
Mobilizations will also take place in other cities across the country.
Specifically:
- Thessaloniki: At 11:30, at the Venizelos Statue.
- Patras: At 10:30, at Agios Georgios Square.
Additionally, individual federations and organizations have announced their own gathering points, broadening the scope of Wednesday’s mobilizations.
The Federation of Hospital Doctors’ Unions of Greece is also proceeding with a strike action, with a rally in Athens at 12:00 outside the Ministry of Finance. Their demands include salary increases, changes to on-call duty compensation, and the hiring of permanent staff.
Students set up tents in protest
Student unions launched their actions on Tuesday, October 20, with a gathering at 18:00 at Syntagma Square. As part of their protest against rising housing and living costs, students pitched tents in the square with the intention of staying overnight, with a concert also planned as part of the program.
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A similar scene is unfolding in Crete, where students have camped outside the Regional Authority building. In Heraklion, individuals identified as students entered the regional council chamber, holding banners and chanting slogans demanding that their concerns be addressed — most prominently the enormous cost of living in a city away from home. Beside the tents, signs read “Student housing 2026” and “Studio apartment for rent: €500 per month”.
