Union says Friday strike to severely impact Athens metro, rail service ATHENS, Greece, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Riders of public transportation around Athens should expect service to be interrupted Friday by a 24-hour strike, union officials said Thursday. The Athens metro and the Piraeus-to-Kifissia electric railway were expected to feel the greatest impact, ekathimerini.com reported. The scheduled strike is a protest against proposals in the new national budget that call for privatization of Greece's public utilities and other cost-cutting measures, union officials said in a statement.