Monday, February 19, 2018

Greece: Hands Off from the Trade Unions! Stop persecution against 35 PAME cadres

The Syriza Government Continues Suppression And Persecutions Against The Trade Unions And Workers That Do Not Surrender
The SYRIZA government-along with the far-right party ANEL, and ND, after the law for the abolition of the Strike right, it continues the attacks against the trade union organization and the struggles of the workers.
Government of Greece, European Union, Industrialists, Bankers, shipowners and their political parties pave the way for a new attack on workers with new taxes on the people, auctions and new cuts in wages and pensions. They want to prevent the reactions of the workers. Since SYRIZA's fairy tale of "fair development" is not believed like before, they escalate oppression.
Now they bring new trial against the 35 PAME cadres on February 20. Although they have already been on trial - and in the first trial all the charges of the previous ND liberal government had been rejected - the SYRIZA government with the "independent" justice brings again, new trial against the 35 PAME cadres. This is persecution of Presidents, Leaders of National Federations, Regional Trade Union Centers, of dozens of class trade unions.
They are taken once again in the courts for a mobilization they held on 30/1/2013 at the Ministry of Labor in protest of provocative statements about the social security that the Minister of Labor of the ND government had made.
The trial against PAME cadres has a clear goal to continue the climate of repression and intimidation that business groups cultivate in order to impose silence in the workplaces. The elected representatives of thousands of workers are being brought back to trial because they have done their class duty. They responded to the attempt of Governments and business groups to threaten and attack the working class’ rights.
Today's government cannot pretend that is not responsible. SYRIZA is responsible for these developments. With provocative statements and slander against the working class movement, against PAME and the working people, as well as with the escalating repression and oppression against workers who are fighting to protect their jobs and salaries.
After the arrests of the supermarket workers in the city of Ioanina, after imposing law to arrest anyone who fights against auctioning off of people’s homes, after using tear gas and chemicals against students who have fought for a meal of free food and after many more recent examples, the SYRIZA-ANEL government continues with the prosecution against 35 cadres of PAME. The prosecution against PAME is a debt the SYRIZA Government owes to the employers.
We organize; we escalate the struggle against the big business, governments and political parties who serve them.
We call on the trade unions to once again express their mass condemnation against the criminalization of trade union organization and action of workers.
We call on the trade unions to massively condemn the prosecutions against the 35 cadres of PAME leadership and demand:
Withdraw Now All the charges against 35 cadres of PAME!
Stop the Criminalization of Working class struggles! We will not be intimidated!