With a massive and militant mobilization outside bar “Jamaica” in Thessaloniki, on Friday 7 April, the Tourism-Catering Trade Union of Thessaloniki (SETEPE) demanded the payment of the accrued wages and stop the employer’s intimidations, bullying and violence against workers.

There 3 former employees denounced the employer of the shop for owing accrued wages of more than 2000 euros each, (gifts, bonuses, overtime and surcharges) and insurance. Members of the SETEPE proceeded to contact the employer in person and notify the workers of the complaint. As SETEPE stated “the employer responded with unprecedented aggression, physically threatening one of the female colleagues and, when a colleague of the SETEPE Board stepped in to stop him, the employer went so far as to grab her by the neck and drag her into a corner, bullying her to intimidate her. The vulgarity knew no bounds as he continued pointing fingers at the female colleagues who were claiming their money and threatening them with expressions such as “you will die”.

In the face of this brutal violence and threats, SETEPE responded with a massive mobilization of workers in the sector sending the message that “hand raised by any employer will be cut by the workers of the whole sector collectively”.

With their banners the workers demanded “Payment of the accrued wages. Life and work with rights” and declared that “Intimidations will not pass. Our weapon is our union”.

SETEPE, stated that “we are responding to this attack massively, organized through the Unions. We will not allow anyone to intimidate us, to scare us, to prevent us from claiming what we are entitled to. We will respond together with mobilisations, with demands, with struggle so that we can achieve, all workers in the sector can work with labour rights, with wages to live with dignity. We are making it clear to the employers in the sector who think they can treat the workers as they like, that they will find the