Workers’ Struggles for Pay Rises Escalate all over Europe

PAME expresses its solidarity with workers’ struggles and strikes that take place daily across Europe. Thousands of workers in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany etc. they carry out big mobilizations, rallies and strikes demanding wage increases, better working conditions.

June 20 big national strike in Belgium

21, 23 and 25 June Trains in Great Britain strike across the country for the first time since 1989

June 23 strike of thousands of German port workers

June 22 national strike in North Macedonia

On June 25& 28 and 35,000 TOTAL workers went on strike in France

25 and 26 June Ryanair, EasyJet and Volotea airline workers went on strike in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Belgium

On June 27th and 28th the Barristers of England and Wales went on strike for only the 2nd time in the history of the sector

29 June Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) workers in Norway, Sweden and Denmark went on strike

Strikes also took place at the airports of the Netherlands, Germany, France, etc. demanding wage increases and staff hiring

In Cantabria, Spain, thousands of metal workers went on strike for a collective agreement that lasted until June 20 and resulted in the signing of a collective bargaining agreement with increases. In Marseille, France, hotel workers have gone on strike at the Golden Tulip hotel for over a month.

In the UK, over 100,000 workers at the Royal Mail have decided to strike in the next period, while other sectors (Telecommunications, air transport) are making similar decisions. In France, train workers will go on strike on July 6.

The examples are endless and the militant decisions are increasing every day.

The pandemic proved even more clearly who produces, who moves society forward, who is useful but lives in poverty and misery. Workers who for years were sacrificed for the competitiveness and profitability of the business groups. Especially younger workers who are dominated by flexible labor relations, slave-trade outsourcing companies, unemployment and insecurity.

During the pandemic, we witnessed workers in the Healthcare, transport, and supermarket sectors being named “heroes”, getting sick and losing their lives but being paid starvation wages, in unacceptable conditions. We saw the slogan “THEIR PROFITS, OUR LIVES” confirmed. In a number of other sectors thousands were laid off, or suffered new attacks on their wages and rights. At the same time the big business groups, the shareholders of the companies gained new, huge profits. When the workers survive with wages on levels of 2010, the capitalist minority amasses the greatest wealth in human history.

WE WILL NOT BECOME SLAVES OF THE 21ST CENTURY

NOW STRUGGLE FOR WAGE INCREASES& COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS

In Greece, in the heat of price hikes, inflation, imperialist war and the pandemic, the working class with its unions are taking militant initiatives in a number of sectors, putting in the foreground the fair and overdue demand for the signing of Collective Agreements with wage increases. Strike actions took place

June 21 Bank employees

June 22 Healthcare workers and doctors

June 23 Pharmaceutical industry workers throughout Greece

June 24 the employees of the Hotels of Attica.

June 24 Delivery workers of E Food of Athens, Chania and Patras

June 24 big rally of Pensioners

June 29 at the Buses-Trolleys of Athens

June 30 Food and Beverage Industries workers

June 30 call center workers

Many more sectors are also in mobilizations. There is no workplace that does not fill with anger and indignation.

There is no place of work where workers do not worry about inflation, insecurity, taxation, the imperialist war.

In the face of the growing anger and indignation of the workers the employers, the Governments and the EU, are escalating authoritarianism, intimidations and oppresion. With suppression, arrests, fines, prosecutions, dismissals. At the same time, they utilize various forces within the unions that talk about “patience”, “waiting”, “time for dialogue” seeking to undermine and block the militant moods of the workers.

Now is the time to strengthen our demands. The workers of Europe, to come to the fore and take the situation into their own hands. Overturn policies that make workers poorer and the rich richer.

The period of the pandemic has proven that with organization, struggle and solidarity, with joint initiatives and coordination, workers can put obstacles in the way of anti-workers’ plans, we can counter-attack and defeat employers, multinationals and governments that serve them.

Now is the time for massive, all workers action. We take matters into our own hands.

No worker alone. All to join our unions. To become members, to take part in the fight, to learn the enormous power of organized, collective action.

THEIR POLICIES ARE LEADING US TO POVERTY AND MISERY

WE HAVE THE POWER – WE HAVE THE RIGHT

NOW WORKERS UPRISING