ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE GLOBAL DAY OF THE WFTU
3rd OCTOBER 2011
PAME, which is a member of the WFTU, is carrying out mobilizations in the framework of its global day of action. The WFTU is a global trade union rally of all those forces which fight against the anti-people barbarity through which the oligarchy sucks the wealth out of the toil of the working people.
The global day of action of the WFTU points out every year through various forms of protest those who are really responsible for the sharpened problems faced by the peoples and those who must be opposed by the working class and popular masses.
The All-workers’ Militant Front predicted and warned in a timely way about the consequences of the capitalist economic crisis. It delayed as far as possible all the anti-people choices. It contributed so that those forces –government, EU, parties of the EU one-way-street- would pay the political price for implementing and supporting the anti-people measures. It made a contribution of decisive significance to the condemnation of these measures in the popular consciousness.
Despite the timely warnings, the illusions and complacency, which the employer and government led trade unionism in our country (ADEDY-GSEE) is responsible for, led to a large section of the workers being relatively unprepared in the face of the dramatic assault of the monopolies and the governments which serve them.
In our mobilization this year we chose the monopolies which infest basic human needs, such as food, medicine, energy. In these specific sectors it is demonstrated in the most categorical way who wins and who loses due to the economic crisis. It can be easily proved that the crisis is being utilised to reduce the cost of labour power.
Certain examples. The 91 largest businesses in the food and drinks sector had net profits of about 631 million euros in 2009. In the pharmaceutical sector the 116 largest businesses had profits in 2009 of 517 million euros. In the energy sector the 24 biggest petrol and electricity companies had net profits in 2009 of 1.5 billion Euros. The 5 biggest super market chains had net profits in 2009 of 120 million Euros.
At the same time while the family from the popular strata dramatically reduces the food products it consumes and tens of thousands of families are undernourished, the money which is spent by the people on its food is at a much higher level due to the repeated price increases and VAT increases, for the reinforcement of a handful of monopolies which control almost the entire food and drinks sector.
At the same time, the fall in the quality of the food products has been drastic. The food industries in order to maximise their profitability do not hesitate at anything. There have been thousands of incidents of unfit food products which are circulating in the market. Many have not yet been exposed.
Regarding the pharmaceutical industry, thousands of families are being called on to put their hands even deeper in their pockets, millions of people in the world, and also in our country are deprived of medicines, which can easily cure diseases.
Sweeping cuts have been made to cover for medicines by the Social-security funds, with high costs as the pretext, leaving untouched what is sacred to capitalist profitability.
Concerning the energy sector, people from the popular strata are being bled every day to pay for electricity, oil, petrol, natural gas etc and the giant monopolies are growing. The people pay high prices for the repeated waves of taxation on the forms of energy in order to reinforce and protect the profits of the plutocracy. Thousands of families are reducing their electricity consumption. Thousands of families are being completely deprived, due to their inability to pay the exorbitant bills. A large number of families are being deprived of adequate heating due to the extremely high price of oil.
The situation concerning the rights of the worker in all these sectors is gloomy. The capitalist refuse to sign collective bargaining agreements, dismiss workers, reduce salaries etc, demonstrating that the profitability of the monopolies and the working class and popular gains are irreconcilable notions.
We chose these monopolies to highlight that the capitalist way of organizing the economy is what deprives the people of the basic conditions for a decent life, for the promotion of the people’s prosperity.
It is time for the awakening of the people. It is time for the measures of the government, which crush the lives of millions of working people, to be impeded. It is time for us to counterattack with organization in the workplaces, in the popular neighbourhoods. The struggle which we are called upon to play the leading role in is struggle for our very lives, our future and the future of our children.
