National strike in Greece
Hundreds of thousands of workers and employees participated in the general strike that took place yesterday, March 31. The decision for the strike had been taken before the general elections of March 7th in Greece, and concerned the signing of the national collective labor bargaining and a wide range of demands connected with it.
It was the first strike after the new government took office in Greece, and just a few days after the report presented by the director of the Bank of Greece calling for more austerity and more “reforms” of the social security system.
The strike was successful and several industrial sectors were “frozen” by the industrial action and thousands of workers participated in the rallies and manifestations of PAME demanding basic salary of 1.100 ? and minimum pension of 880?. Demonstrations organized by PAME took place all around Greece: at Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Piraeus, Larissa, Volos, Trikala, Karditsa, Kalamata, Corinthos, Pirgos, Zakinthos, Tripoli, Argos, Kefalonia, Chalkida, Lamia, Libadia, Thiva, Amfissa, Aliveri, Ioannina, Arta, Preveza, Corfu, Lefkada, Igoumenitsa, Messologi, Nafpaktos Agrinion, Lesvos, Lemnos, Samos, Ikaria, Rhodes, Iraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Kaval, Komotini, Xanthi, Alexandoupoli, Kozani etc.
At the same time it is to be noted the attitude of the socialist-conservative majority of the GSEE (General Confederation of Greek Workers), which insisted in the line of class collaboration and social consensus. Not only they their limited the demands to …560 ? basic salary but at the same time these forces were practically absent from the rallies and demonstrations all around the country.
The General Secretary of KKE, Aleka Paparigha, speaking to the press stated that “Today, the struggle for substantial increases, for real free and public social security system, is not only a struggle of the workers against the employers. It has to be a comprehensive struggle, also aiming against the government, against the logic of the Euro-submission and the “EU-oneways”. The struggle brings results when is systematic, stubborn and politized”
It was the first strike after the new government took office in Greece, and just a few days after the report presented by the director of the Bank of Greece calling for more austerity and more “reforms” of the social security system.
The strike was successful and several industrial sectors were “frozen” by the industrial action and thousands of workers participated in the rallies and manifestations of PAME demanding basic salary of 1.100 ? and minimum pension of 880?. Demonstrations organized by PAME took place all around Greece: at Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Piraeus, Larissa, Volos, Trikala, Karditsa, Kalamata, Corinthos, Pirgos, Zakinthos, Tripoli, Argos, Kefalonia, Chalkida, Lamia, Libadia, Thiva, Amfissa, Aliveri, Ioannina, Arta, Preveza, Corfu, Lefkada, Igoumenitsa, Messologi, Nafpaktos Agrinion, Lesvos, Lemnos, Samos, Ikaria, Rhodes, Iraklion, Chania, Rethymno, Kaval, Komotini, Xanthi, Alexandoupoli, Kozani etc.
At the same time it is to be noted the attitude of the socialist-conservative majority of the GSEE (General Confederation of Greek Workers), which insisted in the line of class collaboration and social consensus. Not only they their limited the demands to …560 ? basic salary but at the same time these forces were practically absent from the rallies and demonstrations all around the country.
The General Secretary of KKE, Aleka Paparigha, speaking to the press stated that “Today, the struggle for substantial increases, for real free and public social security system, is not only a struggle of the workers against the employers. It has to be a comprehensive struggle, also aiming against the government, against the logic of the Euro-submission and the “EU-oneways”. The struggle brings results when is systematic, stubborn and politized”
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International Section
e-mail:cpg@int.kke.gr