Der Gewerkschaftliche Linksblock und das Sekretariat des WGB-Europa haben angesichts des kommenden bevorstehenden Generalstreiks in Griechenland Grußbotschaften an die kämpfenden griechischen Kolleginnen und Kollegen gerichtet. Unsere Solidarität gilt dem auch von der klassenorientierten griechischen PAME für den 17./18. Mai ausgerufenen Generalstreik und den Demonstrationen gegen das neue Memorandum der griechischen Regierung und der EU. Dieses stellt eine weitere brutale Attacke u.a. auf das Streikrecht der Gewerkschaften, auf Branchenkollektivverträge, gegen den Mindestlohn und gegen Pensionist_innen dar.

Nachstehend die Solidaritätserklärung des Sekretariats des Regionalbüros Europa des Weltgewerkschaftsbundes:

The European Regional Office express its class solidarity and support to the national general strike and the demonstrations and rallies in all cities in Greece called by PAME on the 17th and 18th of May against the new memorandum of the Greek government with the European Union and the big capital.

The new 4th memorandum provides for the further destruction of the collective agreements at the branch level, attacks on the minimum wage and the barbaric division between young and older workers.

Under the demand of the “big investors”, they want to block trade union action. To block the foundation and activity of unions, to stop the organization of struggles. According to the new memorandum massive layoffs and lock out by employers will be liberalized.

They will impose new brutal taxation to the people which will cost additional 1.5 salaries every year in taxes, as well new pension cuts. Furthermore cuts will be imposed to a series of benefits that existed to support the most vulnerable and poor workers. Such an example is the unemployment benefit, when in Greece more than 1.000.000 people are unemployed and less than 1/10 of them receiving any financial support from the unemployment agency.

They will abolish Sunday as a day off from work and they will turn the workers into slaves of the multinationals, who will work 7 days a week.

The 4th memorandum is the result of the policies of the Greek Government and the EU that serve the profits of the business groups.

Today it is more than ever imperative to coordinate the actions, intensity the class struggle and express solidarity with working people’s struggles.

The European Regional Office of WFTU stands with the working class of Greece on this important struggle by the leading of PAME against the harsh anti-social measures of the memorandum.