URGENT APPEAL from WFTU

WORLD FEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS

                                                                              

WFTU URGENT APPEAL

                    

 ATHENS, GREECE JANUARY 6^TH, 2011

WFTU appeal for the expression of solidarity in the struggle of the Greek Steelworkers of the Steel-industry “Helleniki Halivourgia”

The World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) appeals on all the trade union organizations in the world to express their solidarity to the militant, firm and hard struggle of the 400 workers in the Greek Steel-Industry “Helleniki Halivourgia” who are on strike for 70 continuous days now, despite the blackmails and the lay-offs of the owner capitalist.

The struggle of those Greek steelworkers is not only a struggle for their own labour rights and for the sake of their own family; their struggle is not only for the benefit of the 750 workers who work under the same company in other industries; it is a struggle in the name of all the Greek working class against the new barbaric antilabor attack which started by this company in the name of all the bourgeois class and wants the workers to work a 5-hour job for 500 euros per month, a salary of starvation for a greek worker.

The 400 steelworks have been conducting a unanimous struggle which started on the 31^st October when the owner of the industry demanded with 18 lay-offs that the workers would accept the new payment regulation and working hours or instead a total of 180 workers would be fired.

From the first minute that this attack started the All-Workers Militant Front (PAME) was on the side of the workers in the industry and organized the very wide and unprecedented expression of moral and practical solidarity by the trade union organizations, the peasant’s, women, youth and student organizations, the working people and the other popular strata with solidarity strikes, demonstrations and other initiatives.

The World Federation of Trade Unions demands the end of this brutal antilabor attack and the immediate satisfaction of the steelworkers rights:

-    The reuptake of the 50 until today redundant workers

-    The 8-hours work per day – no to part time work – no to flexicurity

-    To stop any attempt to reduce the salaries.

We appeal to the trade union organizations worldwide to organize mobilizations outside the Greek Embassies and Consulates in solidarity with the struggle of the workers of “Helleniki Halivourgia”.

Solidarity and protest messages to be addressed to the following e-mails:

WFTU: international@wftucentral.org

PAME: international@pamehellas.gr

Greek Ministry of Labor: info@ypakp.gr 

THE SECRETARIAT