FISE, the World Federation of Teachers Union, denounces the raid of the Greek IRS services, with a prosecutor’s order, carried out  at the offices of the Piraeus Teachers’ Union (ELME Piraeus).

During the raid, the state agencies seized material from the trade union, such as the computer – with the data of all members of the union – and demanded data such as:

• minutes of the Union’s Board meetings

• minutes of the Union’s Meetings (which include the speeches of each employee)

• the list of names of all colleagues who received assistance by the Solidarity Fund of the Union

This is an unacceptable and unprecedented event, aimed at intimidating and controlling the trade union movement.

Unions are not enterprises. Their operation is determined by their statutes, which provide for their control procedures and the rules for managing and justifying all decisions and, of course, their finances.

The economic activities and decisions of the Unions are checked and approved by the employees themselves and the organs of the Unions over time. The Union is public and open to every colleague, every member! The revenue of this Union comes only from the subscriptions of its members. It does not own property, it does not employ workers, nor does it have any income from commercial activities.

What and who is behind this action, what interests and what is their goal is not difficult to understand.

This development is a continuation of the escalation of persecution and intimidation tactics against the militant trade union movement of Greece

FISE supports the Piraeus Teachers’ Union (ELME Piraeus) who immediately held a protest at the Prosecutor’s Office while denounces this dangerous development for the trade union movement.

THE SECRETARIAT