On the 9th of April, a day of a nationwide strike for all workers in Greece, the class justice followingthe government’sdoctrine of “law andorder”, condemnedthe striking steelworkers of Greek Steelworks, who have given for months lessons of struggle and disobedience, courage to the struggles of all the workers against the attack of the industrialists, the bosses, the government and the EU.
They didn’t hesitate to condemn the workers of the union (even a worker who is gravely ill in the hospital) that throughout the nine month strike and through dozens of general assemblies in their union, they didn’t succumb and disobeyed the commands of the industrialist Manessis. They didn’t fear the intervention of the government in favor of the industrialist. They were not terrorized by the repressive apparatuses and the invasion of the riot police in the factory.
Justice penalized the disobedience of the strikers, sentencing them from 21 to 23 months in prison. Justice proved once again its class character, adopting unilaterally the claimsof the employer. ThePublic Prosecutor Mrs. Gnesouliand the chairman Mrs. Polyzogopouloushowed their aversionto the workers’ mobilizations to defendand safeguardtheir rights.Besides, it isnowapparentthat the government andlargebusiness groupsseek to abolish the right to strike, tointerfervene inthe lives of trade unions.
From the firstday that theindustrialistManessisstarted a “factory”of layoffsfor the workerswho refusedto workfor 500euros per month, an enormous solidarity with thesteelworkersandtheir families was expressed.
Steelworkers’ strike went beyond the gates of the factory, it touched allworkers inGreeceandabroad, ineveryworkplace, in every neighborhood, inevery city andvillage.
Fromthe first momentthis strugglewas supportedwithresolutions anddecisions of tradeunions, associations, federations, women organizations, people’s committees, committees of unemployed people, studentsand studentcouncils.
Thismagnificentstrugglecannot be slandered; it can not be overcomeby anyjudicialdecision.
This is thesteelworkers’ victory. They forcedgodsanddemonstoface themin fixed match.Andthey didnotstep back. And they will never do.
We call alltrade unions, workers to condemnthisdespicabledecision, toinform their members, the workers. We callworkers toorganizein every workplace, in trade unions, to strengthentheir class oriented unityandstruggle, tocrushany apparatus of the barbaricsystem that rotsand makesour life a living hell.
THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT OF PAME
