Lately, meetings have been taking place between employers’ associations (AGI- Association of Greek Industries etc.) and labour unions such as the GGCL and others.

It seems as if both employers and employees are interested in the protection of wages, the restoration of the minimum wage to 741 euro and in returning the continuance of the sectoral collective agreements to the 6 month validity time period.

PAME protests that the game is a setup and has been sold out from the beginning.

While the trade unions and the employers’ associations are seemingly discussing the alleged protection of the basic salary, those same forces in the areas of industry and services, are at the same time engaging in an unprecedented looting and plundering of wages and statutory rights (time schedules, benefits, etc.) vested by the sectoral collective agreements.

They have already agreed and signed sectoral collective agreements that include pay cuts and the abolition of statutory rights in the fields of private health, telecommunications (OTE), energy (DEH), oil, public transport (ethel, isap), and are preparing to sign in the fields of finance (employees at private banks), metal and catering

Once more, governmental and sold out trade unionism is attempting to disorientate and deceive workers in the name of social dialogue.

They are once again consciously supporting the implementation of the key goals of the Capital, which in this phase are the drastic decline of sectoral wages and the abolition of statutory rights recognized by the sectoral collective agreements. They are supporting the reduction of the so called non wage costs (social insurance costs, corporate taxation costs etc.) and the subsidy of labour programs so that state funds can easily be channeled to the employers. Issues that with one way or another the leaders of PASKE-DAKE-AUTONOMOUS ACTION have been supporting for a long time now.

These requirements are requirements of the memorandums as well. They are not temporary. They are here to stay.

PAME calls all workers, through collective action (rallies, general assemblies etc.) to reject the logic of defeat and retreat that these leaderships, alongside the employers, are leading them to. PAME calls the workers to unite and defend their rights and their lives.

PAME urges the workers to realize that as long as these leaders have the majority of their vote in the trade unions, their struggles will be ineffective, tailing their needs and will be designated as a way to relieve frustration with the alibi of a struggle, even when these struggles do take place.