Employees raising the toll bars at Rio

The first coordinated resistance against mass layoffs in Olympia Way, which is constructing the dangerous highway between Corinth and Patras, is being organized for today and tomorrow by Vinci union workers, who are raising the toll bars in Rio.

With the slogan “Lies are over, promises convince no one, Olympia Way belongs to the past”, redundant national highway employees are opposing banks and property developer policy, anticipating the collapse of the mammoth road project collapse, which has laid off 2800 workers.

Work on the highway has grinded to a halt during the last quarter due to lack of bank financing and the stalemate in negotiations with the government.

However, drivers still continue to pay tolls for this project, from which the company has an estimated income of 5.5-6 million a month, despite the grumbling over a 30% reduction in passenger traffic.

So far, the public sector and the people have paid 500 million euros for the construction of the highway. At the same time, the concessionaire has only spent 84 million and banks have paid 336 million.

According to data from the Ministry of Infrastructure, Olympia Way has received tolls amounting to 50 million between the start of the new year and up to late August.

By 2010, the revenue from tolls had amounted to 187 million.