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Greek court rules: Teachers’ and Transport workers’ strikes put public health at risk

Did you know that teachers’ strikes put the students’ health at risk? Have you ever thought that a court is concerned about the public health when it comes to strikes but it doesn’t seem to care when thousands of patients are deprived of basic medical care because they cannot afford their medication or a fee to a private doctor due to incredible long waiting list for public health care appointments?

The Plenary of the Council of State ruled that the teachers’ and public transport workers’ strikes strike in May and January 2013 were putting at risk the public health. Therefore it ruled that the “mobilization” of teachers and metro and urban train workers was constitutional and according to the book of law.

The Council of State rejected the appeals submitted by the Federation of Secondary Education ( OLME) ) and the Unions of Workers at Tram, Metro & Urban Train (fixed rail-track). Teachers and workers had appealed the government decision to ‘mobilize’ the strikers.

OLME had declared a 24-hour and a 5-day strike on the first day of exams for the entrance to universities and colleges.

Reasoning for teachers’ strike

The judges felt that postponing the exams due to the teachers’ strike “can have serious impact on the mental health of the students participating in the exam, and thus to such extent and intensity that put the public health at risk therefore the decision to ‘mobilize’ the strikers was according to Constitution and the law.”
Reasoning for fixed rail-track workers

The judges indicate that the recruitment of strikers was done to protect the health of the residents of Attica as during the strikes there was no security personnel to cover basic transportation needs of the society.

This has resulted into traffic congestion for any other private and public transport means. According to the Council of State, “this situation creates an objective danger to the health of citizens who wish to move around in Attica [prefecture] and particularly those in need of timely access to health services .”

PS According to this reasoning any strike that causes traffic jams could be banned on reasons for “putting the public health at risk”.

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