Press statement of the MEP of KKE, G Toussas on the Congress of ETUC/CES in Athens

Strasbourg, 11/05/2011

On 16-19 May 2011 the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC/CES) congress will be held in Athens and the representatives of the "labour aristocracy" invited GUE to participate.

For this reason we want to inform you about the position of the Delegation of the Communist Party of Greece in the European Parliament on this issue:

Our position regarding the GUE representatives is, not only to not participate to the congress, but to denounce this organization as an opponent of the workers, as a trade union power that represents and serves the interests of the big capital.

This is the reality that emerges through particular events.

Firstly, the ETUC/CES supports the European Union, the imperialist transnational union which represents the monopolies' interests. Furthermore it supports the capitalist restructuring and the reactionary changes that eliminate fundamental labor and social-security rights, undermine the Collective Agreements and reduce the price of the labour force. The misery that prevails in the factories, in the businesses and generally in the workplaces has the stamp of the ETUC, of the majority of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), of the employers' and the government's trade unionism.

Secondly, the ETUC/CES has supported the Maastricht Treaty, the Lisbon Strategy and the essence of the "Euro Pact" in order to serve the needs of the capitalism - the exploitative system - and to enhance the competitiveness and the profitability of big capital, so that the workers pay for the capitalist crisis and its impact.

Thirdly, the ETUC/CES cultivates the "social consensus", the "class collaboration", in order to disarm the labor movement.

Fourthly, the ETUC/CES supports NATO, the imperialist interventions and wars against the peoples.

For these reasons - which show that this organization represents the monopolies' interests and hostiles the workers' and peoples' interests - we denounce it and we call on the other MEP's to do the same and to not participate to this conference.

Georgios Toussas

MEP for the Communist Party of Greece