PAME expresses its solidarity with the Spanish people, the workers, and the trade unions of the country for the tragic loss of at least 39 lives following the derailment and collision of trains near Adamuz, in the province of Córdoba. We extend our warm condolences to the families of the victims and wish strength and resilience to the injured.

The Greek people know firsthand the pain and anger that such tragedies generate. The crime at Tempi remains an open wound and proves that crimes on the railways are not “accidents,” but the result of specific policies. Once again, and in the most tragic way, the slogan that emerged from the struggles of workers, the people, and the youth is confirmed: “Their profits or our lives.”

Obviously, the exact causes of the tragedy in Spain must be fully investigated. However, it is entirely reasonable and justified for workers and peoples to be concerned about the safety and quality of transport across the EU. Such tragedies do not occur by chance. They are directly linked to the policies of the EU and governments that “dismantle” the railway system, liberalize and privatize it, turning it into a field of profit for business groups.

The commercialization of transport, the underfunding of infrastructure and maintenance, the dismantling of an integrated network, understaffing, work intensification, and the degradation of health and safety conditions permanently endanger the lives of workers and passengers. The need for profits of monopoly groups leads to tragic outcomes, measured in human lives.

PAME stands by the railway workers and all workers who are fighting for safe, modern, cheap, and high-quality transport for the people. The causes of this tragedy must be thoroughly investigated. The struggle against the EU’s and governments’ policies of liberalization and privatization must now be intensified. For modern, safe, regular, cheap, and exclusively public railway transport.