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They demand neither the rail company, nor its property to be privatized, which in the opinion of the unionists, must be used to bring profit. The program of the Congress of the rail workers that began today at the Acropolis Hotel and will last three days includes administrative report for the 2007-2010 period, economic report for the past three years, presentation of the action plan for the next three years and discussion on the 2010-2013 budget. The Congress will be closed with a vote of the action plan for 2010-2013, a secret vote of the administrative and economic budget for the next three years and selection of the members of the confederation bodies.  

The 2007-2010 report of the rail workers presents their demands, which they have submitted to the Ministry of Transport several times but none of the ministers have taken them into account:

- The state to take debt as 85% of it is the amount the state owes to OSE

- The subsidiaries to be closed and their employees to be transferred to OSE

- To improve the passenger trains routes as well as the coordination at the places of transfer along the peripheral networks

- To expand the routes where necessary

- The state to fund the rarely used routes  

- To open shopping centers and stations

- To attract retailers

- To open the small parcel service again

- To link the railways to ports and industrial zones

- To eliminate deductions for commercial freights  

- To put international bus lines into operation anew and to control illegal travel agents

- To hire employees for traffic related positions – drivers, switch-men, heads of stations

- To use the real estate, not to privatize it

- To purchase carriages and return the closed 602-603 route

- To facilitate the purchase of tickets for the suburban train

- To sell useless road materials

- To develop networks of optic fibres

- Functioning of the Directorate for Internal Control

"It is known that economic rail companies worldwide have deficits that are covered through public subsidies or other means such as utilization of their property. Indicative is the example of the Japanese railways where almost half of the revenue is generated through the exploitation of their property. To deprive OSE of its property is an act that predicts the future of the Greek railways,” said the lawyer Dimos Tsaknis in his report on the law for the privatization of OSE. The opinion of the government is different and according to the Privatization Secretary George Christodoulakis there is great international interest in the purchase of the railways that, in his words, will happen the next year. Meanwhile, the report of the Confederation of the rail workers stated that their property amounting to € 5 billion is among the largest one after that of the Greek Church.

"Most of the deficit resulted for three reasons: 1. Because the government has not made the due payments for funding the activities connected with the rail infrastructure in cooperation with the EU. It has made the OSE to borrow to cover these huge sums. 2. Because of not signing contracs with the state and other organizations so that the costs of implementation of any social or other policies, such as the policies of air carriers or ships concerning the so-called unprofitable lines, to be paid to OSE. 3. Because of bad management in general that have burdened the organization with useless expenditure ... They have not kept, as were required, the property of OSE, nor have they utilized it. They have not taken the necessary measures to quickly and efficiently complete the infrastructure projects, etc." continues Mr. Tsaknis in his report.  

The rail workers set their goals for the next three years, including cancellation of the railway privatization, modification of the present business scheme and the state to take the debt and recruit staff where necessary.