The increasingly dire situation Greek cities amid an ongoing garbage strike in the country generated an invitation by the Greek prime minister himself towards unionists representing sanitation workers, especially contract staff whose employment status has expired.
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras invited the leadership of the POE-OTA union to his official office on Tuesday morning for further talks, in order to try and find a compromise, hours after the union rejected an offer by the relevant interior minister.
The malodorous situation on the streets, especially in the greater Athens area, where half the population lives, has generated increased concerns over public health risks and the impact on the nascent summer tourism season.
The employment status of even sanitation workers remains a domain where the central government in Greece still has the last word.
