Greek strike movement escalates
ON THURSDAY 11 March, Greece
was again brought to a standstill by the collective action of the
organised working class. Workers from the public and private sector
joined together in the third general strike in a few weeks against the
government’s draconian austerity package.
The action hit 90% of
public-sector workplaces and up to 90% of large private-sector concerns.
Nothing functioned. Nothing moved. Public transport closed down
completely, with the exception of some trains in Athens to transport
workers to and from the demo. Even small shopkeepers joined the strike.
It was a further display of the enormous power of the working class when
it is organised and acts in a united fashion.
Greece’s two union
federations called the strike to protest at the additional €4.8 billion
package of spending cuts and tax increases that the government announced
on 3 March, and passed by parliament days later. This was the third
austerity package since the beginning of the year, introduced under the
pressure of the EU. They add up to about €20 billion.
Protest rallies were
organised by the GSEE union and the civil servants’ union, ADEDY.
Another was organised by the Communist-affiliated union, PAME. Athens
saw a huge demonstration of 80,000 to 100,000, one of the biggest street
protests in recent years. Many more workers wanted to join the protests
but could not attend because the public transport system was not
properly planned to enable workers to participate fully – parts of the
train system in Athens were running, but only between 10am and 4pm! The
strike action also hit smaller cities and towns, with big demonstrations
in these areas.
Under pressure from the EU
and financial markets, in early March Greece’s social-democratic Pasok
government presented the latest in a series of austerity packages to cut
the budget deficit to 8.7% of gross domestic product this year, from an
estimated 12.7% last year. Among other things, the package cuts
public-sector wages by 7%, Xmas and summer bonuses (which are known as
the ‘13th and 14th wage’) by 30%, freezes all pensions including the
lowest (over a million pensioners get less than €500 a month), and
massively raises taxes on fuel, alcohol and cigarettes, and VAT from 19%
to 21%.
The mood of the strikers was
angry. In fact, that anger and frustration has hardened and widened
since the Pasok government announced its most recent cuts. But there is
also a feeling that the strike action up until now will not be enough to
stop the avalanche of attacks. Workers are furious and want to take
action but the union leaders are not putting forward any concrete steps
or plan to see off the government’s assault. Pasok also blames the
legacy of the last right-wing New Democracy government which it
decisively defeated in general elections in 2009. Indeed, New Democracy
in opposition is now between 12-15% behind Pasok and that gap is
growing.
Due to the lack of decisive
union opposition to the cuts, the Pasok government has so far been able
to largely carry forward this line of argument. However, the Pasok-dominated
union federations (GSEE and ADEDY) are seen by the most class-conscious
workers as only pretending to offer a fight to its members.
Given workers’ huge anger, it
is likely there will be further general strikes. The strike movement
will most probably continue against ‘pension reforms’ and new tax
changes, which will be voted by parliament in the next few weeks, both
of which hit the working class hardest. The latest general strike
followed several days of escalating actions by a variety of unions, but
the movement is largely developing in an uncoordinated way.
So far, young people have not
engaged in the mass protest movement in a decisive manner. This is
partly because the economic crisis has not hit them directly, as it has
workers in the public and private sectors. School students have not come
out onto the protests in big numbers. But this can change. Both school
and university students have taken mass protest action over the last few
years. In December 2008, the streets were ablaze with an eruption of
youth anger against police brutality. Now many university students are
finishing exams and occupations are beginning against the consequences
of cuts in education. Xekinima (CWI Greece) calls for this to spread
into a wave of occupations not only in the universities but also the
schools. Mass action committees should be formed, with the youth
struggles linking up with workers’ struggles.
The strike action needs to be
co-ordinated and expanded to a 48 hour general strike, with the threat
of longer general strikes if the Pasok government does not back down.
Workplace and community committees of action should be formed to
co-ordinate and link up struggles on a local, regional and national
level.
The left parties, such as
Syriza and the KKE (Communist Party) have a key responsibility to form a
‘united front’, with a bold socialist programme. This should include
opposition to paying the national debt, nationalising the banking
sector, ending the enormous tax evasion by the bosses, an immediate
programme of huge investment in health, education, housing and
infrastructure, and the nationalisation of public utilities and major
parts of the economy, under the democratic control and management of the
working class. Only a left government, based on the needs of the working
class and youth, can resolve this deep crisis which is a crisis of Greek
and international capitalism. However, both mass parties of the left
refuse to fight for such a bold programme. This is, therefore, a factor
which acts as a brake on the dynamic development of the mobilisations
and movement. In these circumstances, Xekinima (one of the constituent
organisations of Syriza) explains the need for a mass party of the left
with clear revolutionary socialist ideas, based on the best elements
inside Syriza and the KKE, but also including some of the other
organisations of the far left.
Joe Higgins, Member of the
European Parliament for the Socialist Party (CWI Ireland), visited
Greece and spoke to packed meetings of workers and youth. Joe brought
solidarity greetings from Irish workers who are also facing draconian
attacks on their jobs and living conditions. He called for workers’
solidarity action co-ordinated across Europe, in opposition to the
cutbacks being implemented by all governments and against the dictates
of the bosses’ EU. In a very successful public meeting in Athens, held
after long hours of marching and clashes with the police (and when the
public transport system was completely shut down), over 220 people
attended to hear Joe and a representative of the French NPA (New
Anti-Capitalist Party). This was repeated at another public meeting in
Salonika, addressed by Joe and a representative of the local Syriza. The
attendance at these meetings proves the preparedness of working-class
people to resist the attacks, and to strive to find a way to take the
movement forward. They also point to the attraction of genuine,
democratic socialism as a viable alternative system to profit-based,
crisis-ridden capitalism.
Andreas Payiatsos, Xekinima (CWI Greece) and
Niall Mulholland
For latest developments see the cwi website:
www.socialistworld.net
