Galery

1

A new wave of strikes is expected to start in Greece after Prime Minister George Papandreou announced he will impose the additional measures for exiting of the economic crisis. The increase of the excise duty on the fuels, the freeze of pensions, wages and appointments in the public sector made the Greek unions declare public insubordination as the only reaction to the up coming changes.

Another strike was announced by the General confederation of Greek workers after the second meeting between the unions and the employers’ organizations for the signing of the new National framework contract regarding the amount of the monthly remuneration. “The new government fell into the trap of the international markets,” commented the chairman of the national union Dimitris Simakopoulos. He stated that with the increase of the retirement age the government has crossed “the thin red line”, which the confederation had set in the public dialogue regarding the new social economical reform. “We are absolutely against such measure and the government of PASOK knows what is our stand. Our answer will be a 24 hours mass public strike, which will be held on February 24^th and will mobilize all workers in Greece,” announced Simakopoulos. The chairman was explicit that the government is working ex parte and is not opened for a dialogue. Due to this reason the confederation has taken the decision to pull out their members participants in the working team gathered to present the final version of the tax reform.

The General confederation of the Greek workers announced that they will continue to fight for their initial request for increase of the minimum wage in the private sector by 60 euro, or in other words from 740 euro to 800 euro. “The commercial circles in Greece are generally speaking positive towards the increase of the minimum wage by a specified amount rather than a percentage. The increase of the minimum monthly remuneration will help for the increase of the consumers’ demand. Nevertheless we do not believe that the private entrepreneurs could offer the desired by the unions increase of 60 euro in 2010”, said the chairman of the National commercial chamber Vasilis Korkidis.

Currently strikes are also announced by the tax administration employees who will protest against the economic policy of the government of PASOK on February 5^th, February 6^th, 10^th and 17^th this year. On February 12^th and February 13^th start the warning strike activities of the customs’ employees. These protests are organized by the Union of the public sector employees. They claim that the stipulated reforms are “antisocial”, “anti constitutional and they endanger the survival not only of the customs’ employees, but of all governmental employees in Greece”.

“Greece is at the edge of an economic collapse” said Dimitris Daskalapoulos chairman of the Greek industrial chamber. Daskalapoulos stated his support to the initiative of the government for the inclusion of additional measures for the rehabilitation of the positive economic growth of the country. According to him if the Prime Minister hadn’t turned to the imposition of the additional cuts in the national budget, “Brussels would have imposed measures even more strict”