Pictures from the recent strike of Greek workers

 

The mass militant strike demonstration of the All-workers’ Militant Front (PAME) sent a resounding message for the escalation of the struggle over the collective bargaining agreements and against the anti-people political line on Wednesday 20^th of February in over 70 towns in the country, in the framework of the 24hr general strike.

PAME’s strike demonstration in the centre of Athens was magnificent, in which a delegation for the farmers’ blockades participated with the banner of the All-farmers’ Militant Rally (PASY) and 2 tractors.

Separate contingents of the Nationwide anti-monopoly rally of the self-employed, shopkeepers, small retailers (PASEVE), the Students’ Struggle Front (MAS), the Federation of Greek Women (OGE) also participated in the demonstrations of PAME and PASY.

There was a mass strike demonstration in Thessalonica, while in Piraeus the march ended in the port, where the striking seamen were abolishing in practice the banning of their strike and civil mobilization and were on the picket lines on the ships’ ramps.

Speeches at the Strike Demonstrations

Giorgos Perros, member of the executive secretariat of PAME, speaking at the Front’s strike demonstration in Omonia, saluted the mobilizations of the militant farmers and characterised the battle for the signing of a National and sectoral bargaining agreements as a major confrontation, stressing the need for the discussion to be initiated in a more decisive way in every workplace. He called for an escalation of the struggle, castigating the state violence, while he warned the multinationals-government and their supporters in the media not to dare to move forward with their plans to ban the right to strike.

Joaquin Romero, Vice-president of the WFTU and president of the Metalworkers Federation of Colombia, a representative of the farmers from the Nikaia blockade, as well as a representative of PASEVE addressed greetings at the strike demonstration.

Afterwards there was a magnificent march through the central streets of Athens, which ended in front of the Parliament.

STATEMENTS OF THE GS OF THE CC OF THE KKE ALEKA PAPARIGA

AT THE STRIKE DEMONSTRATION OF PAME

A large delegation of the KKE, headed by Aleka Papariga, GS of the CC of the KKE, attended PAME’s strike demonstration. In the statements she made in Omonia, she underlined that: “The working people who are suffering must take a decision. To discover their strength and advance combatively, towards the rupture and overthrow, to the very end. Otherwise they will find themselves trapped against the wall.”

She noted in relation to the assault on the trade-unionist of PAME in the Lavrio region by members of the fascist “Golden Dawn”: “Golden Dawn is the Nazi hit squad of the system. And in this sense, it is of service to all those who wish to maintain this political line and to move forwards against the people. We denounce the assault against the trade-union cadre of PAME in the Lavrio region, an assault which is not of course unique and the people must finally teach Golden Dawn a lesson. They must socially isolate them, so that they cannot be found amongst or next to the workers without being on the receiving end of the political denunciation of the workers and without being politically isolated.”

THE FARMERS

The farmers at the Nikaia blockade (near the city of Larisa) symbolically closed the national road there, which connects Northern and Southern Greece, together with thousands of workers after the strike demonstrations in the 4 nearest towns (Larisa, Karditsa, Trikala and Volos).

Strong police forces at Kileler attempted to impede 6 coaches with striking workers who were heading for the blockade, but after the intense protests of the strikers, they opened the road.

The magnificent strike demonstrations which reached the blockades set up by the farmers’ struggle, answered the intransigence and authoritarianism of the government, as was stressed by the National Secretariat of PASY. It noted that the small and medium farmers are stronger because they have as their allies the working class and the other popular strata and stressed that the struggle will continue, will have many forms and will not cease.

The farmers who are continuing the coordinated struggle for their survival for 4 weeks are reinforcing their blockades all over the country and today participated in the strike demonstrations in many cities.

KKE: an undeniably resounding response to the government

The KKE stressed that the great participation in the demonstrations of PAME has been an undeniably resounding answer to the coalition government and to all those who seek to bring the working class to its knees, who seek to chain the people with lies, intimidation and authoritarianism.

In addition it noted that the participation of the seamen in the strike, who defied the order of civil mobilisation, the large joint demonstrations of workers, poor and medium sized farmers and the blockades of the farmers show the way that the working people and the popular strata must follow, even more decisively, in order to repel repression, in order to form a militant people’s alliance against the common enemy, the monopolies, the EU.

The KKE stresses that there should not be a moment’s rest. The barbaric anti-people measures and repression, the operation to deceive and trap the people will escalate. The battle will become even tougher. For that reason, the participation of the working people, of the unemployed and the young people in the struggle, in the organization of the struggle, above all in workplaces, in people’s neighbourhoods and villages, must NOW become more dynamic, more decisive and conscious.

The working class has not utilized yet its great power which lies in its class organization, in its political and ideological consciousness, stresses the KKE. The mass participation in the demonstrations of PAME showed that there are strong forces that can lend momentum to the regroupment of the labour movement, to the creation of a strong, emancipated, class-oriented labour movement that will be capable of impeding the reactionary plans of the government, the EU and capital, of leading the big social alliance that will put an end to exploitation and liberate the people from the power and the oppression of the monopolies.

PAME and PASY

PAME notes in its statement that there is a need to escalate the activity for the signing of a National Collective Bargaining Agreement, against the tax plundering, for the protection of the unemployed, for the satisfaction of the demands of the farmers. PASY underlines that small and medium sized farmers are more powerful because they have the working class and the other popular strata as their allies.