[fse-esf] Huge mobilizations and general strike in Greece

[Yannis Almpanis]

Huge mobilizations and general strike in Greece

Hundreds of
thousands of people demonstrated in many Greek cities last Wednesday March 19.
Only in Athens, it is estimated that more than 150.000 people participated in
the demonstration organized by the trade unions and other social movements.

http://news.pathfinder.gr/photoscope/greece/news/798.html

http://syriza-ymittos.blogspot.com/2007/12/blog-post_6923.html

http://www.indy.gr/newswire/poreia-asfalistiko-athna-19-marti-2008

It was one
of the most successful general strikes in the last decades. The workers are
protesting against the neoliberal reform of the social security system. The
conservative government is going to vote a new law that is violently limiting worker’s
rights. People should work for more years (from 5-10 years) in order to get
smaller pensions. It is estimated that more than 500.000 workers  (mainly women and youth) will be the victims
of the new law.  

Before the
general strike, workers in the electricity companies, in local authorities, in
public transport and in the ports held for many days strikes against the government’s
neoliberal reform. Chaotic situations occurred: black outs for many hours,
streets full of garbage, enormous traffic jams…  Besides the strikes many actions were also
held:  occupation of electricity stations
by electricity workers

http://news.pathfinder.gr/photoscope/greece/news/2275.html

http://news.pathfinder.gr/photoscope/greece/news/2274.html

clashes between
the police and the municipalities workers (in the video you can see them throwing
garbage at the police)

http://www.in.gr/video/default.aspx?videoID=65149

clashes between
 the police and  the electricity workers

http://news.pathfinder.gr/photoscope/greece/news/2140.html

Occupation of
the Athens city hall by the local authorities’ workers

http://www.indy.gr/newswire/mpoykarise-kosmos-sto-dimar3c7eio/

 blockades to tracks that were breaking the
strike,

and
destruction of police surveillance camera by the Network of Political and
Social Rights

http://www.indy.gr/newswire/meion-mia-kamera/

We should
also underline that the government is trying to criminalize the movement by
persecuting trade unionists for the black outs.

Although
the government has no social legitimation, it has the parliamentarian majority
(152 deputies in a total of 300). That’s why after an initiative of the party
of  SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical
Left) all the opposition parties and the trade unions are launching a campaign
for a referendum on the social security reform.

 

Yannis
Almpanis Network for Political and Social Rights-Greek Social Forum

 

 

 

 


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