The Attica Taxi Drivers Union (SATA) announces a new 18-hour strike from Sunday midnight until Monday, September 22, aiming for maximum member participation in the sector’s emergency general assembly, scheduled for 10 AM on Monday. It should be noted that the president of the Attica Taxi Drivers Union, Thymios Lymperopoylos, speaking to “Parapolitika” 90.1, had previously announced the new 24-hour strike on September 22, the day of SATA’s general assembly. The drivers express concern about the “degradation of the Union’s role” and the “uncontrolled entry of major private interests into transportation services.”
SATA announces new 18-hour taxi driver strike from Sunday midnight
Specifically, in its announcement, SATA states that “we are facing a critical and dangerous turning point for our sector. As the president of the Attica Taxi Drivers Union (SATA), Thymios Lymperopoylos, characteristically stated yesterday in a press conference:
“We won’t back down. They want to finish us off, to end the free profession of taxi driving and give our work to private companies.” “We will have new strikes, but not continuously so the sector can endure. However, we will be constantly in action, with various forms of mobilizations. We won’t let them finish us off, be sure of that,” he said. He also announced an appeal to the Council of State (CoS) aimed at overturning the recent Joint Ministerial Decision of the Tourism and Infrastructure and Transport ministries, “which opens the road for urban transportation to private cars with drivers.” This constitutes, as he said, “a direct violation of constitutional provisions and fundamental rules of existing legislation, according to which this specific capability belongs exclusively to taxis.”
Scenarios of complete deregulation of transportation services are returning more intensely than ever and directly threaten:
“The viability of our profession
The economic dignity of thousands of families
The legal operation of taxis as a public transportation service
Kyranakis & Kefalogiannis are unconstitutionally circumventing through Joint Ministerial Decision the concept of urban transportation as defined by law and European Courts.
Mandatory electrification – Taxation – Piracy – Transportation Work Theft – Multinationals are finishing us off.
The degradation of our role and the uncontrolled entry of major private interests into transportation work is not a distant scenario – it’s already underway with the government’s blessings.
Everyone’s presence is imperative.
If we don’t react now, tomorrow might be too late.
Either us or them.
Everyone to the General Assembly to decide our future. Everyone to the struggle,” the announcement concludes.
Lymperopoylos on Parapolitika 90.1: New taxi strike on September 22
The president of the Attica Taxi Drivers Union, Thymios Lymperopoylos, speaking to “Parapolitika” 90.1, had previously announced the new 24-hour strike on September 22, the day of SATA’s general assembly. “The struggle will continue until the government withdraws the Joint Ministerial Decision on the van operating regime.” “Our next moves are to pressure constructively, making contacts with other free professional sectors that have the same problems as us. On the 22nd of the month we have a 24-hour strike for the general assembly,” Mr. Lymperopoylos stated.
