With a massive rally at the gates of COSCO docks in Piraeus the Union ENEDEP and the working class of Athens gave a militant decisive response to the multinational.
With the family of the dead worker taking part in the rally the workers decided to continue the strike on Friday also demanding the implementation of specific measures that will guarantee the safety of the workers. Measures such as the crews to have 6 members instead of 4 that is today, to stop back-to-back shifts that will lead to exhaustion and increase the possibility for accidents etc.
Important moments during the rally was when the dockers hanged a banner at the building of COSCO with the slogan “No more workers’ dead for the profits of COSCO”
Also when from the speakers the Union announced that in Turkey and in Italy the members of WFTU, Nakliyat Is and USB were organizing protests of solidarity in front of Cosco offices in Istanbul and in port of Livorno in Italy and USB representative who expressed the support of Italian workers to the rally through telephone.
Special moment was the Union announced that the court, where the employers filed to cancel the strike, the court did not call the strike illegal! https://youtu.be/jAd7TNiPgMw
The union expressed its gratitude to all unions from all over the world that sent messages of solidarity and supported their struggle.In his speech, the President of the ENEDEP Union, cadre of PAME, Markos Bekris highlighted
“Dimitris’ death was a premeditated crime. This is proved by the fact that on the specific bridge on which the tragic accident took place, resulting in the loss of our colleague, not all the necessary measures had been taken to protect his life and all of us… this crane bridge, which passed over our colleague, is an example of the working conditions that prevail in the port. In order for the employer not to put his hand in his pocket, in order for COSCO not to waste any euro, when its profits are unprecedented, they sacrificed our colleague Dimitris Daglis.
…After that, how could we let the port work like a death trap? How could we look in the eyes the colleagues who saw Dimitris bleeding? How could we look in the eyes of his family?
We are not ashamed to shed tears for our colleague. And as we work hard, we also know how to fight hard and honor our dead with our struggles! And we can do it.”
On Friday the strike continued with motorcade to the Maritime Ministry demanding the realization of their fair demands https://youtu.be/C8ESL3lSyk8
And an image of the strength of the strike is the video of ships queued in front of the docks of Cosco on Friday morning https://youtu.be/v3U5Nj537es
Photos from the strike https://flic.kr/s/aHsmX1KsAC
