A Block on the dialogue-fraud

20/01/2012

With a dynamic mobilization on Wednesday (18/1), class-oriented federations and trade unions which are rallied in the All-workers Militant Front (PAME) ruined the anti-worker “date” of the “social partners”.

With a mass rally, which they organized by surprise at the offices where the “dialogue” was taking place, the class-oriented federations and trade unions prevented the beginning of the “social dialogue” on Wednesday, which had been scheduled by the compromised trade union leadership of GSEE (which is controlled by the social-democrats, right-wingers and opportunists) and the organizations of the capitalists ( the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises-SEV etc) and has as its goal the “execution” of whatever workers’ rights have remained in order to strengthen the competitiveness of capital.

The Minister of Labour G. Koutroumanis was extremely revealing in his statement concerning the breadth on the anti-worker reversals which are being arranged through the dialogue: “ Is it possible for the Minister of Labour to ban the social partners from tabling whatever issue they want?” Here is a small selection of what has been tabled at the so-called “social dialogue”: a two year wage freeze, restrictions of the seasonal bonuses, exemption for the employers from up to 15% of the social security contributions which they provide for the workers, the automatic corresponding increase of their profits together with a 5% reduction of business tax.

The demonstrators of PAME remained for a long time outside the building, as well as inside the conference room, where the representatives of the employers and trade union bureaucrats had already gathered, forcing them to break off the “dialogue” and withdraw from the conference room. Amongst the slogans that were heard “The workers are not a cost, the parasitic capitalists are”. “Class struggle, here and now”. It is indicative that the president of SEV fled from the meeting.

It is not at all accidental that SEV in its statement attacked the KKE, targeting working class and popular consciousnesses which are fighting against the barbaric measures and are showing tendencies of emancipation from the political line of capital and its parties. SEV called on “all the political forces and particularly the parties of the broader democratic left to unreservedly condemn the KKE and practices which want us to go (via PAME) in a violent way back to a period which definitely belongs to the past” indeed adding that “the allergic reaction which the social dialogue obviously causes the KKE-like every form of dialogue-reveals its obsession with Stalinist methods and tactics.” GSEE released a similar statement.

Response of the KKE: The bourgeois class is a parasite which impedes social development.

The KKE immediately answered the anti-communist attack of SEV, mentioning amongst other things: “the rabid assault of the representatives of the industrialists on the KKE is natural from a class standpoint. What they want, together with their parties and trade union collaborators, is for the working class, submissive, to say “kill me and I will go to heaven”. This explains the extent of their hatred, when the KKE and PAME call on the working class to rise up and prevent the eradication of its basic gains, to end its sacrifices for the profits of its exploiters, with the aim of overthrowing their power. (…) Gentlemen, we are not afraid of you. Your class is a parasite which impedes social development. You are ruthless when it comes to increasing your profitability and protecting your interests. You close the factories and transfer them abroad, throwing the workers who you have been exploiting for years out like rubbish. You export billions of Euros, which are the product of decades of theft through the exploitation of the toil of the workers, for investments or for safe depositing in banks. You plundered the social security funds. You enjoy provocative tax exemptions and privileges and demand others. (…) You know very well how true the slogan is “Worker, without you no cog can turn, you can do without the bosses” and how much it touches the hearts of the workers. But the time will come when the whole working class will stand up to be counted.”

PAME: the government and employer-led trade unionism supports the interests of the employers

PAME stresses in its relative statement: “the statements of SEV and GSEE as regards the intervention of PAME at the beginning of the “social dialogue” shows that they are united in body and spirit. We do not have to say more about the industrialists. We have clear and opposing interests. SEV identifies the development of the country with its interest which is “profits-profits-profits”. They need to reduce the price of labour power in order to increase their profits. The forces of the employer and government-led trade unionism are constantly declaring their willingness to support the interests of the industrialists and the big employers under the pretext of combating unemployment and allegedly preserving jobs. There is a significant experience from the previous “social dialogues”, from the losses of the working people which had already been determined beforehand. It was the same people using the same arguments that attacked the forces of PAME in 2009 when they carried out a symbolic blockade of the “social dialogue” on social security in order to warn the working class and organize its struggle against the impending massacre (...). The leadership of GSEE is ready to agree with SEV and the coalition government of PASOK-ND-LAOS on the drastic reduction of salaries and employer’s contributions. In addition, in their statements GSEE and SEV are accusing PAME of exerting violence. The system and its allies are talking about violence while it is the strategy of the monopolies that has condemned the working class and popular masses, small children to poverty, unemployment, malnutrition. Those who talk about violence are the ones who in most workplaces have created a regime that muzzles and penalizes every working class voice that opposes their nightmarish plans. They actually defend this kind of violence. We tell them that we will not tolerate our violent impoverishment, our violent subjugation to the appetites of capital. We will overthrow it using as a weapon the power of the just war against the war of capitalists”, concludes PAME in its statement.