The human factor played a decisive role, said the Minister of National Economy and Finance Hatzidakis, testifying as a witness to the commission of inquiry “to investigate the crime of Tempe”.

Mr. Hatzidakis, who was invited as the former Minister of Development, Competitiveness, Infrastructure, Transport and Networks ((2012-2013) and former Minister of Transport & Communications (2007-2009) said that it is positive to have remote management, but we cannot exonerate the behavior of employees who turn out to be irresponsible.

Asked by ND MP, L. Tsavdaridis on the role of electronic security systems and the human factor, Mr. Hatzidakis said that from what he had observed “even though the remote control system existed, even if it was limited, even with whatever problems it had, at the same time we still had a question of behavior from part of an employee […] When in an organization the systems are not fully functioning, the positive, or not positive, role of any employees increases accordingly”.

In the invocation of Gerapetritis’ conclusion by the MP of SYRIZA-PS, V. Kokkalis, regarding the fire at the remote control center of Larissa (7/2019), Mr. Hatzidakis said that “we cannot accept that without remote control in general, trains can never run. It is positive to have remote management, sophisticated remote management, but we cannot exonerate the behavior of people, employees in this case, who prove to be irresponsible.” He also added that there was a system at the station and up to five and a half kilometers from the station, which is confirmed not only by (OSE management advisor) P. Terezakis but also by other experts.

Particularly, to the question of the MP of PASOK, M. Apostolaki on whether there is a causal link between the progress of the “717” contract and the tragedy of Tempi, Mr. Hatzidakis said that “the more guarantees there are the better. But here, in this particular case, from my own knowledge and based on my own assessment, firstly, around the station and certainly in the critical period there was a remote control system which the stationmaster does not use and, secondly, there was a problem with the the very behavior of the station master”.

At the beginning of his testimony, Mr. Hatzidakis referred to the efforts to dismantle the OSE since the competent minister took over, noting that the OSE was the most problematic organization not only in Greece but possibly in all of Europe. “When I took over as minister, for every one euro of profit, OSE spent nine and a half. Its debt had soared and that is why we implemented in the summer of 2008 a consolidation program of the OSE with axes of security, transparency, consolidation and development”, said the current Minister of National Economy & Finance.

As an example of the problems he found as transport minister, he gave that in Messinia, the monthly income from the local line was “125 euros when the train drivers’ salaries were 20,000 euros, an amount that was enough for the passengers to go to their destination, not by taxi but by limousine,” said Mr. Hatzidakis. He emphasized, however, that today the situation of the OSE has improved in terms of its finances and also in matters of transparency.