Workers’ walkout halts Athens metro services

A work stoppage on Friday by metro workers protesting what they described as ‘huge’ shortages of staff, ticket issuing machines and spare parts for trains led to morning traffic jams in the streets of the Greek capital. Workers walked off the job from the start of the shift until 9 a.m. and from 11 p.m. until the end of the shift, ignoring a court ruling earlier on Friday which found that the second part of their labor action was illegal. The metro workers’ union (SELMA) criticized the firm which operates the Athens metro, STASY, for its ‘arbitrariness’ in handing out promotions. PANTELIS SAITAS/ANA-MPA