ATHENS – There will be no collection of rubbish by municipal garbage collectors on Monday after the local government employees’ union federation (POE-OTA) decided that garbage truck depots will remain closed, in protest against a series of work accidents among municipal sanitation staff.

The decision follows the fatal injury of a garbage truck driver near the Fyli landfill on Friday and the death of a sanitation worker in Aspropyrgos the previous Friday.

POE-OTA urged the labour and interior ministries “to assume their responsibilities” and also lashed out at elected local government officials, noting that overwork due to staff shortages, lack of personal protective gear, a failure to comply with health and safety regulations and badly-maintained mechanical equipment had led to a slew of deaths.