A late-arriving passenger pushed to his death in the screws at Piraeus, dangerously over-crowded ferries, elderly passengers having to walk through the waves onto the sand carrying their bags after jetty collapses and no winter service at all to the smaller islands in this privatised and unsubsidised system, and now a massive strike over several days which government refuses to care about.

From the Maritime Executive, last week:

The unions representing Greek seafarers including deckhands, dockworkers, and others on the country’s critical island ferries, are extending their strike for another two days as they demand better wages and work rules. A “warning strike” started on Tuesday and Wednesday and the unions are now adding another two days while citing further potential escalation as Greece heads into a three-day holiday weekend ahead of a national holiday on Monday. Most of the mainland and interisland ferry service across Greece is suspended.

The unions are also demanding the government roll back a new law that permits high-speed ferries popular with tourists to limit their operations to only four months of the year. As such, they report crewmembers working on these vessels are classified as “seasonal employees” losing out on wages and benefits including unemployment. The unions want the law amended to require a minimum of seven months of operation.

^{https://maritime-executive.com/article/greek-seafarers-extend-strike-stopping-most-island-ferries}

How does CalMac in Scotland compare? None of the above tragedies apply. Full service to all islands thorough the year, despite many half-empty sailings, staffing at far higher levels than in Canada and USA and perfect safety record, because massively subsidised by Scottish Government.