The railway and urban rail transport workers' unions, POS and MST, on Tuesday issued an announcement that their members will go on a 24-hour strike on Friday, February 28, on the anniversary of the tragic train collision in Tempi, from 00:01 until the stroke of midnight.

"The 28th of February will remain in our memory as a day of mourning and be honoured in this way...(as a minimal sign of respect for the memory of our 57 fellow human beings)," the announcement said.

The union's members, the announcement said, are also demanding justice for their colleagues and the passengers killed during the Tempi accident, the immediate hiring of permanent employees to redress "tragic shortages in crucial specialties, which make the smooth functioning of passenger and freight transport problematic, as was proven in reality with the tragic consequence of losing 57 of our fellow human beings." They additionally demand the completion of infrastructure projects that have lagged for years, with emphasis on safety systems "which are either entirely lacking of half-finished", the modernisation of facilities, rolling stock and machinery to protect worker and passenger safety and the restoration of a single, uniform railway under state supervision and owned by the Greek people.

Announcing that the unions had laid a wreath at the site of the accident in the memory of those killed, including 11 railway workers, the unions noted "that February 28 will always be a day of strike action, in honour of their memory" and called upon all rail transport staff to attend the rally at Syntagma Square in central Athens at 11:00 on Friday, and the twin rally in front of the Venizelos statue in Thessaloniki at the same time and day, as well as any local demonstrations over the accident.