Hostage to garbage
It’s not the first time that a garbage collectors’ strike has transformed parts of Athens into urban landfills. But this time the situation is more irritating because of what appears to be an obscure political game being played at the expense of citizens. Officially, only about 250 refuse collectors on short-term contracts are on strike, not all the permanent employees. Athens’s Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos has not made the slightest effort to find a solution. Even if strikers reacted, he could always – as the government has suggested – ask the police to restore order or seek assistance from a private firm. Avramopoulos, however, has chosen a different strategy. He claims to support the strikers’ demand for permanent employment contracts and shifts the blame onto the government, although he is well aware that even if the Interior Ministry wished to satisfy their demands, it would still have to overcome certain legal obstacles. Garbage collection is indisputably one of the toughest and unwholesome jobs around and therefore the municipalities’ garbage collectors should be well paid. On the other hand, Athens cannot every now and so often be swamped in a sea of trash. It is an unbearable strain on Athenians’ living standards, not merely a question of aesthetics. If the mayor believes that he is unable to provide the minimum safeguards for the people who elected him, he should submit his resignation, thus lending some weight to his political allegations. Instead, he is washing his hands of the responsibility, like another Pontius Pilate, in an attempt to pass it on to the government. In his use of petty party-political tactics, he can only harm the citizens of the municipality. It is common knowledge that in recent years, Athens has been filthier than ever before. The present mayor is partly responsible for this situation, but the problem is a broader one. It is neither confined to Avramopoulos nor the municipality of Athens. For this reason, the fresh piles of garbage raise the issue of assigning garbage collection to private companies – a solution that is vehemently opposed by employees. Inevitably, the ongoing strike is another significant step closer to privatization.
