A few hours before the start of the strike called by three seafarers’ unions for Friday, July 3, at the port of Rafina, the Association of High-Speed and Cruise Ship Owners filed a motion for injunctive relief against the 24-hour strike.
According to a statement released today by the Panhellenic Union of Merchant Marine Seafarers (PENEN), the hearing is scheduled to take place tomorrow at 12:00 p.m., on the eve of the planned strike.
PENEN characterizes the appeal as a “direct attack on the right to strike,” arguing that the aim is to undermine the strike and silence the issues of safety and working conditions that, as it states, exist at the port of Rafina.
At the same time, the seafarers’ union attributes a leading role to the ferry company SeaJets in the effort to suspend the strike, arguing that the mobilization was called in compliance with all the required formal and substantive conditions.
In its statement, PENEN refers to attempts to pressure the strikers and to a coordinated campaign to discredit the strike, noting that responsibility for the safety issues and deficiencies in Rafina’s port infrastructure has long rested with the state and the relevant authorities.
Special mention is also made of the absence of a safe and recognized anchorage outside the port, a fact which, according to PENEN, makes it dangerous for ships to spend the night at anchor.
PENEN states that the strike will proceed as planned, regardless of the outcome of the legal proceedings.
SOURCE: APE