Mass and dynamic Mayday strike rallies of PAME in Athens and 80 other Greek cities.

The Mayday strike rally of PAME in Syntagma Sq., outside the parliament, was mass and dynamic, sending the message that this strike battle was dynamically and tirelessly waged by the workers, the unemployed and the militant rallies of the self-employed (PASEVE), the poor farmers (PASY), the students (MAS) and the women (OGE) from the popular strata, in every workplace, in every neighbourhood. Mass Mayday strike rallies were also held in 80 other cities all over Greece. Thus an answer was given to the government’s attempts to move the holiday or strike of Mayday to another date in order to deal a blow against the historic messages of May 1^st in the consciousness of the working class, which decisively demonstrated that “May 1^st is not a holiday, it is a strike. It is the red day of labour, it is the bloodstained day of the workers of Chicago and the workers all over the world.”

The contingents of the trade unions, pensioners’ unions, self-employed associations, the student unions, the women’s associations, the People’s Committees and Unemployed Committees in Athens reached Syntagma Sq. with slogans and a militant atmosphere.

A large delegation of the CC of the KKE participated in the rally, headed by the GS of the CC, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, who stated that: “We would like to address a call for the people to rally with the KKE, so that the way out for the capitalist crisis in favour of the people and not again in favour of the monopolies, the EU and their system, becomes a reality.”

The rally began with a greetings’ speech by Ilia Ahmet, an immigrant from Bangladesh, who read the letter of the 200 immigrant agricultural workers from the strawberry fields of Manolada, who rose up against their bosses, having worked unpaid for months in wretched conditions. The letter of the workers to the strike rally of PAME was a message which recognized the historic contribution of PAME to their struggle.

Gilda Chacon Bravo also spoke at the rally, on behalf of the Secretariat of the World Federation of Trade Unions and trade union organization CTC Cuba. She noted the need to intensify the expressions of solidarity with the struggle of the Cuban people as well as for the release the 5 Cuban heroes from the US prisons and the restrictions they are subject to.

Andreas Sioris, president of the Trade union of MEBGAL workers in Attica conveyed the militant greetings of the workers of the dairy company MEBGAL, who have been carrying out strike mobilizations as they are unpaid for three months, to the rally.

Giorgos Perros, member of PAME’s Executive Secretariat, made the central speech. He stressed amongst other things that “We must understand that we have a mission, a duty, a great responsibility in relation to the working class. We must contribute to the regroupment of the labour movement, we must devote all our strength, we must remain on our feet and give the workers courage.” he noted that “The struggle must have demands which serve the needs of the working class. It must be against the plutocracy and the anti-people political line, against the managers of the system, regardless of the label they have. So that every struggle, whether it is a strike, a demonstration, trade union elections, is understood as a part of the political class war through which the working class must emerge victorious, abolishing the exploitation of man by man. There are no pro or anti-memorandum working men and women in this struggle! Everyone must unite like a fist, regardless of their past trade union and political affiliations. The unity of the working class against capital’s alliance. A unified struggle for the way out from the crisis in favour of the people and not to salvage the profitability of the capitalists. A struggle for departure from the EU and the unilateral cancellation of the debt.

PAME’s strike rally continued with musical concert with working class songs which was completed with raised fists and a minute’s silence for the dead of the working class and immediately after the playing of the “Internationale”, the demonstrators set a new militant date in the workplaces, preparing for the success of the demonstration on the 23^rd of May in Athens and dozens of other cities, demanding the signing of National General Collective Bargaining Agreement and sectoral agreements.

Finally, it is indicative that, as usual, the Mayday rally of the compromised trade unions of GSEE and ADEDY, which are supported by ND, PASOK and SYRIZA, was thinly attended and uninspired.