The Greek parliament approved controversial plans to restructure the debt-ridden public transport sector in Athens which have sparked a series of strikes by workers since December.
The ruling Pasok party used its 156-member majority, out of a total of 300 seats in parliament, to pass the controversial law.
The plans involve merging the five companies running public transport in the capital into two organisations and shifting some 1,500 staff out of a total workforce of over 11,000 to other state agencies.
The five companies had combined losses of 580 million euros ($755 million) in 2009 and an accumulated debt of 3.8 billion euros, according to the government.
“The law will create a metropolitan authority to oversee the Athens public transport system, and we will consolidate five entities into two to reap economies of scale. We are also imposing requirements for a business plan and regular audits to prevent deficits accumulating which are then picked up by the Greek taxpayer,” Transport Minister Dimitris Reppas said.
The parliament also voted to crack down on a civil disobedience campaign, which has seen users refuse to pay fare hikes or motorway tolls, by toughening the penalties for offenders.
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