PAME, a member of the WFTU, denounces the government of the USA which has denied granting to the WFTU General Secretary George Mavrikos an entry visa to the US.

The WFTU General Secretary has scheduled a visit to the USA for March 2018 to attend an event of the United Nations in New York, where he is a permanent representative of the WFTU, and to participate as main speaker in the annual trade union meeting of Trade Union Organizations members and friends of WFTU that will take place the same month in Los Angeles, USA.

Although the WFTU followed the procedures the answer from the USA state authorities was negative. The WFTU, whose central offices are hosted in Athens, also addressed the US Embassy in Athens without a positive response. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece was also informed, but the coalition government of SYRIZA and of far-rightist ANEL neither wants nor is able to assure the right of free movement of the citizens of Greece to the USA. This position of the US Department of State aims at preventing the free trade union action and the strengthening of the militant trade union movement of the workers in the USA. The WFTU is a massive, class oriented, international Trade Union Organization with 92 million members in 126 countries all over the world. 

PAME stands by the side of the workers of the world, alongside the large class family of the WFTU.

We demand that the legitimate request for visa to be granted to the Secretary General of the World Federation of Trade Unions and stop the discrimination against the cadres of the international, class trade union movement.

We call on the trade unions of Greece, the Regional Trade Union Centers, the National Federations to condemn, with resolutions, decisions, complaints of this new attack against the international class trade union movement, against the World Federation of Trade Unions.