Solidarity with the workers of GREEK STEEL WORKS
Wanneer: 25/11/2011 - 21:20
The 400 workers of the “GREEK STEELWORKS” (Helliniki Halivourgia) industry, are on strike, united as one fist, for more than three weeks. And they continue! They do not move back, they have chosen the path of honor and dignity, to defend the bread and the future of their children. They do not return to work, in fire and iron, for 500€. They demand, their 34 colleagues, who were laid off, to return to work.
The 400 workers of the “GREEK STEELWORKS” (Helliniki Halivourgia) industry, are on strike, united as one fist, for more than three weeks. And they continue! They do not move back, they have chosen the path of honor and dignity, to defend the bread and the future of their children. They do not return to work, in fire and iron, for 500€. They demand, their 34 colleagues, who were laid off, to return to work. Their struggle concerns the whole working class. The employer of “GREEK STEELWORKS” is the battering ram of the industrialists.
The “GREEK STEELWORKS” is the first industry that attempts to impose 5hour working day with wage cuts, flexible employment relationships, unpaid overtime and to remove security rights by blackmailing us with losing their jobs.
The layoffs were made to terrorize them, because on their General Assembly they unanimously rejected the employers demand to work part-time, 5 hours a day, with a 40% wage cut. At the same time their hard work, increased the production last year from 196,000 to 266,000 tonnes, hard work with daily labor accidents and a dead worker. The employer’s profits are immense, and he continues to blackmail that if they do not accept his demands to work as slaves, he will lay off 180 more workers. The steelworkers gave him the right answer. They overcame fear, blackmails, the threat of hunger.
They went on strike!
They are standing up. They are already victorious. No one can bend us!
The industrialists, in the factories around, were waiting for them to get tired, to return to work with their heads down, to singe for a 5-hour working day. The employer admitted that he did not expect such a struggle! They have proven that workers have endless power. For 16 days, 24-hours a day, they guard their strike. They realized their power and they have learned a lot more. They can distinguish friends from enemies.
They rely on the power of solidarity. Dozens trade unions support them from day one. PAME stands on their side. Support steelworkers struggle in every way. For the steelworker there in no way back!
If they lose, the door opens for 5hour working day and labor jungle to other factories as well, which is what the industrialists await. The steelworkers’ victory will be a victory of the whole working class. That is why they want us on their side. No more! Terror, blackmails and the attack against workers will not pass!
Support the striking steelworkers in all possible ways: with resolutions, announcements, press releases by trade unions, from neighborhoods, from any kind of organizations, from outside the Factory’s gate, with financial aid and gathering food for the strikers’ families.
They denounce to all workers, the leadership of the Federations of Workers in Metal Sector, and of the Regional Trade Union of Elefsina, which during those 16 days, not only they did not call a single meeting, in order to organize a solidarity campaign, but they “advise” them to bow their heads, they slander them, they try to divide the strikers. We call workers to bypass them and to organize in every workplace.
Victory will be hard, but it will be their-ours!
Your financial support of the strikers is also crucial. The local union does not have its own funds and the survival of the strike depends solely on our support. Please transfer to the following account:
Name: LIAKOS DIMITRIOS
IBAN: GR 40 0110 2000 0000 2006 2330 152
SWIFT: ETHNGRAA
Bank: National Bank of Greece
Solidarity to the strikers of GREEK STEEL WORKS! THEY WILL WIN!