Dear brothers and Sisters,

On behalf of the Class Trade Union Movement of Greece, PAME, we salute the heroic, proud people of Syria. We salute our brothers from the GFTU Syria and the workers who resist the imperialist terrorism.

We congratulate the international class trade union movement, the World Federation of Trade Unions, the WFTU, which once again demonstrates its solidarity with the Syrian people, with actions, with today’s important initiative.

Dear brothers from the GFTU Syria, colleagues from international delegations, workers from all over the world we are witnessing the imperialist barbarity that has been torturing  the land of Syria for years. We are witnessing the spread of war in more and more regions. The peoples are paying for the consequences of borders change, states’ fragmentation because of the imperialist competitions from Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe to Korea and even Venezuela. At the same time the EU is strengthening its militarization, it abolishes workers’ rights and at the same time it escalates an unprecedented anti-workers’ attack. Imperialist war and anti-workers’ policies are the two sides of the same coin.

For this reason, the class unions in Greece have not been idle against the imperialist intervention of the US, NATO, EU, against your country. From the very first moment PAME mobilized, went on with a series of actions and mobilizations. It revealed the hypocrisy of the Government of Greece, but also of the other European countries, who talk about peace, but they arm, fund and support the destabilization of the Middle East. We have informed workers of Greece about the real causes of the intervention of the imperialists in Syria. We have put pressure against the Greek government, which hands over Greek territory to NATO and the US to carry out their imperialist interventions.

We have taken a number of initiatives to strengthen solidarity with Syrian workers. In March 2017 we hosted the President of GFTU Syria in Greece in a big Solidarity event with the people of Syria.

In June 2017, we held a two-day anti-imperialist action. On the first day, tens of thousands of workers protested against NATO, the EU, imperialist wars and interventions, and on the second day, we welcomed a delegation from GFTU Syria, along with trade unionists from the Balkans and Europe, sending a message of struggle and resistance.

At this meeting, along with other countries’ Unions, we decided to organize:

• An all-European meeting in Brussels on the role of the EU and NATO
• Trade union action day against the imperialist war, solidarity with the peoples of Palestine, Syria, Cuba
• Campaign for Solidarity with Refugees – Immigrants including (joint poster, joint announcement, events in all countries).

At the same time, PAME visited Damascus three times, expressing its solidarity with actions. And today we are here again with you.

Because PAME and the GFTU Syria are linked to one another by close ties of friendship and brotherhood that developed during the Peace  and which strengthened  during the war.

Because even in these difficult times the GFTU was steady by the side of the Greek workers, in their struggles against the anti-workers’ policies of the EU and the Greek governments.

Because for PAME the right of every people to decide for themselves on their own life and future is a right that is nonnegotiable and we will defend it in every way.

At the same time, however, we stand at the side of the people of Syria, as well as the people of Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, because they are suffering the attack of imperialism. We cannot stand idle when the imperialists intervene, bombard, kill, cause millions of refugees  for the profits of the multinationals, for the control of energy resources, of their transport routes and control of the markets.

Not like the ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation) and ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) forces, who openly support the imperialist interventions and then pretend to be in solidarity with the peoples who suffer.

It is the duty of the trade unions of the world to stand up against the plans of the imperialists. To condemn the imperialist war and organize workers’ resistance.

We must now strengthen the struggle for the right of peoples to build their future without interventions and imperialist wars.

Now we must strengthen Solidarity and Internationalism.

For the victory of the workers of the world against imperialism and exploitation

Long live the heroic People of Syria

Long live the GFTU Syria

Long live the friendship of the peoples