Layoffs and compulsory leave for motorway workers

Motorway workers are experiencing conditions of extreme poverty, as they express their anxiety about the direction the concessions have taken.

Despite the government's optimism that the proposal for signing a memorandum on major projects would shake the work sites out of the temporary inertia, one by one the consortiums are suspending their operations, forcing the staff to take compulsory leave or proceeding with layoffs.

So far dozens of builders, machine operators, drivers, surveyors and engineers are in the unemployment fund and seeking support from the state.
 
Despair

“Loans have to be written off or frozen, rents must decrease and then be paid by OAED or OEK, there must be free public education, municipality taxes and various fees must be eliminated”, say the workers at the E65 union and ask for work opportunities to open up “because otherwise we will start nagging at each other, the unemployed against those with jobs”.

Last Thursday, a few hours after the announcements of Reppas and Papakonstantinou concerning measures that will temporarily support the projects, the bosses at the sites of J&P Avax on the Athens-Corinth motorway announced mandatory leaves for all personnel from Holy Wednesday until the end of May.

Meanwhile, over 100 people from the Aktor site have been subject to layoffs, while French company Vinci has issued a deadline by the end of the month and expects a liquidity boost so as not dismiss those who are left.

The anxiety of the workers in nationwide motorway construction was expressed by the men working in the Central Axis (E65) on a Saturday meeting held with Kostas Agorastos, the regional governor of Thessaly and Michalakis, the vice district commissioner of Trikala.

The union asked for clarification on the development of the project, but according to the regional governor, despite the pressure, the continuation of the project is not certain.
 
Problems caused by appeals

As Reppas announced last week, motorway E65, from the Mourgani section to Egnatia at a total length of 32 km, the works in Kaiafas at 22 km, Vrahneika after Patra at 18 km and Klokova close to Antirrio, are encountering problems because of appeals to the CoS. In order for the projects to proceed it is necessary to change the plans, which requires a lot of time, hence the proposal for work postponement.

Starting his week, the government is preparing to send the final proposal text to the consortiums so that there will soon be a memorandum of common understanding that will lead to a partial mobilization of the projects, at least until the end of the year. Contractors say that its immediate signing is impossible, as it will have to go through the torture of the banks first.

“The memorandum will not only concern the tolls, but will also determine the parameters for the funding and continuation of the contracts. It’s impossible to reach an agreement if we don’t study it carefully”, say the contractors.