The GSEE mafia strikes again: Congress-parody in Rhodes by employers' trade unionism

The leadership of the GSEE choosed to organize its
congress-parody in a five-star resort in Rhodes.

The actual role of the leadership of GSEE (Greece's General Confederation of Labour) has been fully exposed during recent events, about which you can read in the following articles: 1. Workers storm, interrupt event of the reformist Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) and 2. PAME's George Perros denounces the trade union mafia of the GSEE leadership. 

On Thursday, a new incident that took place in the island of Rhodes, confirms the dirty role of the GSEE bureaucrats as "stooges" of the employers. 

20 YEARS OF PAME: LONG LIVE THE WORKING CLASS OF GREECE

It was April 3, 1999 when, with the great initiative taken by Federations, regional Trade Unions, Trade Unions, Unionists, was formed the All Workers Militant Front (PAME), the class-oriented pole within the workers movement. It was the response to the parasitic action of employers’ and government led unionism, which quickly adapted to the demands of the monopolies to serve competitiveness, to the promotion of European Union directives, to the hammering of working time, social security, the transformation of trade unions into enterprises, co-managers of the capitalist economy, in the social partnership. 

International Communist Bulletin 27-3-2019

Greece: PAME's George Perros denounces the trade union mafia of the GSEE leadership

After the incidents at the 37th Congress of the Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) in Kalamata, where the Confederation's leadership tried to impose... employers as congress' delegates, the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) strongly protested such methods. 

Trade Unionists and workers affiliated with PAME denounced the mafia methods within the trade union movement used by the GSEE leadership of G. Panagopoulos. During a press conference held by Regional Trade Unions and Federations, the member of the Secretariat of PAME George Perros noted the following:

Workers storm, interrupt event of the reformist Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE)

Under the slogan "Unions of workers, not employers", workers stormed and interrupted a "fiesta"-event organized by Greece's General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) which was taking place at the Kalamata Dance Hall, on Thursday evening. The GSEE event was due to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Confederation.

As 902.gr portal reported, the workers and trade unionists, holding banners and shouting slogans, entered the hall where the event was taking place. They lamented the reformist leadership of the GSEE, shouting slogans such as "Class based Trade Unions, without employers", "Trade Union leaders strike-breakers, the workers have turned their backs at you".

Greece: Armed bodyguards and terrorism deployed by employers at workers' congress

On Saturday, February 23, was to take place the Congress of the National Federation of Private Employees of Greece (OIYE) in Athens.

A Congress about which there were hundreds of official complaints and unions’ denunciations about election fraud, intimidations and direct intervention of employers, especially by the big Super Market owners, so as them to control the Federation. In addition the President of the Federation, Mr. Karageorgopoulos, is himself an employer, President and CEO of the limited company “PEGASUS FORTUNA GAMING S.A”.

PAME exposes how employers intervene in the Greek Trade Union movement

Left: Poster by PAME for the 37th GSEE Congress, writing
"Employers OUT of the Trade Unions - Trade Unions of
WORKERS, not of employers".

On the occasion of the 37th Congress of the GSEE (General Confederation of Greek workers), the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) refers to the intervention of employers in Greece's Trade Union movement: 

In March 2019, at a tourist resort in the city of Kalamata, in southern Greece, will take place the 37th Congress of GSEE (member of the ETUC in Greece). A Congress from which workers have nothing positive to expect, have no hope for their lives and their rights.

PAME: We support Venezuelan people’s struggle to live in their country without exploitation and interventions (EN, ES)

The All Workers Militant Front (PAME), member of the World Federation of Trade Unions, condemns the USA-EU and their allies’ intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela.

The operation of imposing a new «banana republic» in Venezuela is a terrible repetition of the bloody coups made with the support of the USA in Greece, Chile, Argentina, Brazil etc. To promote their imperialist plans, US-NATO-EU, support openly coup d’état, proceed to military threats and other measures against the Venezuelan people.

Los Angeles Teachers’ Strike - Messages of proletarian solidarity from WFTU and PAME

In a statement issued on January 16th, the Secretariat of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) expresses its solidarity to the strike of teachers in Los Angeles: 

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), representing 95 million workers in 130 countries across the globe, sends its internationalist and militant greetings to the teachers of Los Angeles who took the streets and organized a huge strike in order to defend their labor rights.

Indonesia tsunami- Proletarian solidarity to the workers and the people of Indonesia

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), representing 95 million workers in 130 different countries across the world, expresses its most heartfelt condolences to the people of Indonesia after the tsunami caused by a volcanic eruption on 22 November.

According to official information so far, at least 281 people have died from the tsunami, hundreds more are injured and many more remain missing.

Orban's "slave law" shall not pass- Solidarity with Hungarian workers by WFTU-PAME

New demonstrations took place in Budapest last Friday against the antiworker "slave law", while the defiant far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban dismissed the protests of the last weeks as "hysterical shouting". According to a poll published by the Publicus company on Friday, more than two-thirds of Hungarians thought the protests were justified and that the overtime law would hurt workers' interests.

Regarding the situation in Hungary, the "slave law" and the mass protests, you can read more in the report of the Hungarian Worker's Party (Munkáspárt). 

Undercover cop busted by trade unionists at workers' congress in Greece

PAME Secretariat's member Giorgos Perros (left) shows the
id card of the undercover police agent who is next to him.

What does an undercover police officer do in a trade union center's congress? Seems that the Greek government decided to take us to previous decades, when police agents were assigned to monitor and record the proceedings within the trade union movement. 

According to a report published by 902 portal, members of the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) in Thessaloniki detected the presence of an undercover police officer at the beginning session of the 33rd Congress of the local Trade Union Centre. 

The developments in the Greek Trade Union movement and the negative role of GSEE

The last years the workers in Greece have faced an extremely brutal attack from employers, governments, the EU. 

The consequences of this attack have resulted in wage cuts, abolition of rights, attacks against the collective organization of workers so that they will be easily exploitable by the bosses.

Against this attack the workers had an important weapon of resistance PAME, the class unions of Greece. Those trade unions, that since the first day were at the forefront of the struggle, of information, organization and mobilization of the working class against the anti-workers hurricane that was being prepared.

Greece: PAME denounces pro-government trade unionism, calls for nationwide strike on November 8th

In a statement the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) denounces the pro-governmental, anti-workers stance of the majority of the Executive Committee of the General Confereration of Greek Workers (GSEE) which, during a meeting on October 8th, rejected the proposal for a General Strike on November 8th. 

According to PAME, the forces of the employer and government-led trade unionism argued that the workers... "must wait for the developments", while they unleashed slanders against PAME. More specifically, among other things, the statement of PAME writes:

Solidarity with the construction workers of Istanbul's new airport

The Federation of Construction Workers of Greece, member of All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) and the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), denounces the Turkish government that responded with violence, repression and arrests of workers who are working at the new Istanbul Airport, after the mobilization they made to protest the new labor accident, resulting in injury of 17 people.

We express our solidarity with the struggling workers of the construction of the new Airport.

Five years since the assassination of Pavlos Fyssas - Mass demonstration in Piraeus

Hundreds of workers, students, people of every age participated in a mass rally on Tuesday afternoon, in Keratsini, a neighborhood of Piraeus in Greece, in order to commemorate the five years since the brutal assassination of anti-fascist musician Pavlos Fyssas.

Fyssas, a metalworker and a rapper, was murdered on September 18th 2013 by a neo-Nazi Golden Dawn member. He was 34 years old.

The slogan of the demonstration's front banner was "Golden Dawn, stooges of the bosses, the struggle of the people will smash you", while numerous other blocs with university and high school students were following. Among the major slogans of the protesters was "Smash fascists in every neighborhood" and "You are the stooges of  the shipowners, hencemen and stoolies of the bosses". 

Massive demonstration by PAME during the opening of Thessaloniki's International Fair

Thousands of workers, farmers, unemployed and self-employed men and women participated in a large demonstration organized by the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) in the center of Thessaloniki on Saturday evening. 

The protest was organized on the occasion of the opening, by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, of the 83rd International Trade Fair where the "honored country" is the United States of America. 

COSCO dockworkers in Piraeus go on strike over collective agreements

Giant banner at Piraeus' tower promoting September 7th
dockworkers' strike.

In a statement, the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) calls every trade union, federation, Regional Trade Union Center, every worker and unionist to stand by the great struggle of the workers at the piers of Piraeus who continue their  struggle with a new Strike on Friday 7 September so as to sign Collective Contract.

We call on the trade unions of each country, in particular the Trade Unions in Ports and Transport Workers, to express Solidarity and Support to the COSCO Workers' Strike at Piraeus Port.

Greek maritime workers defy shipowners-government, continue their 48-hour strike

Defying the threats and warnings from the shipowning companies and the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government, Greece's maritime workers continue for a 2nd day their strike over labor rights and collective agreements.

The 48-hour national strike was organized by Greece’s seamen federation (PNO), which said in a statement that negotiations with the sector’s employers over a new collective agreement that would include wage increases did not bear fruit. In its statement, PNO said that “for eight consecutive years, the seamen have not received not even a one-euro increase” and asked for passengers’ understanding and support.

Mass workers' rally to be organized during Alexis Tsipras visit in Thessaloniki Fair

Under the slogan "Our needs to the forefront", the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) calls the working people in mass participation in the demonstration which will take place on Saturday 8 September in Thessaloniki, during the official opening of the city's International Fair. 

"No compromise with miserable life, no more waiting", writes the PAME statement, calling the working men and women, the self-employed and unemployed people, the youth to raise their voice against the SYRIZA-ANEL government's mockery and anti-people policy.