Strike in Commerce-Retail, Sunday April 5

We demand legislative action by the government  To Establish Sunday as a day off for all workers

Opening shops on Sundays all year round was and still is a demand of the big capitalists, shopping malls and multinationals in commerce-retail sector. Today, the new so called “anti-memorandum” government of SYRIZA stands on the law of the former government (ND-PASOK) and continues opening stores for seven Sundays a year. It does not want to legislate Sunday as a mandatory holiday for all stores throughout the year because it is aligned with the big monopoly groups in the commerce-retail sector.

For the workers in commerce-retail, the unemployed and the small shop-owners is clear that the opening of shops on Sundays did not “stimulate the market,” did not create new jobs, or better wages, it did not stop the intensification. It resulted on the exact opposite. The workers’ situation is tragic; the wage cuts exceed 30%, the elimination of collective agreements, the growing unemployment, alongside the high prices and extreme taxation for the working-class families. The opening of shops on Sundays added to the destruction of workers’ schedules, individual employment contracts, fixed-term contracts, wage cuts, unpaid work, unemployment and intensification that dominate in commerce.

Multinationals in the commerce-retail sector, have wiped out thousands of self-employed, who could not bear the increase in operating costs, increase their working hours and competition with big shopping malls, which have the financial ability to push and tighten the noose of competition around the neck of those who continue to resist. It has been proved that the only beneficiaries of the abolition of Sunday closing are the big shopping malls, which operated based on the principle of the so-called free competition that the European Union defends to support the concentration and centralization of capital, the annihilation of the self-employed and small shops. The unions that take the initiative to declare strike on April 5 are the ones that in previous years whenever the employers attempted opening shops on Sundays we reacted, went on strike, against the undermining role of the employers trade unionism.

We continue to be on the roads, we continue to work with meetings, tours, concentrations in workplaces to keep all shops closed on Sundays throughout the year.

We call

• All the trade unions, by area, or by company, all over Greece to announce their participation in the April 5 strike. To organise visits, campaigns, discussions with the workers in every workplace. Because there are no “saviors”. The workers must take matters in their own hands and impose to the government to take legislative action so as to establish Sunday as a day off for all workers.

• The self employed to join us in this fight against the common enemy, the monopolies and the multinationals; because they steal the wealth we produce.

• The workers to join the trade unions so as to strengthen the organisation in every work place, to unite more forces and demand

• Abolish the law that allows the opening of shops eight Sundays a year.

• Sunday to be mandatory day off for all the year, for all stores, by law by the government.

• For workers in commerce-retail establish work hours 8 hours a day, 5 days 40-hour a week permanent and steady job.

• Abolish part-time, hourly rate, fixed term contracts and all flexible work forms and converting them into 8hr permanent contracts.

• Sign sectoral agreement with basic minimum wage of 920 euros.

The Trade Unions of

Workers in Commerce-Retail of Athens, of Piraeus, of Thessalonica

Private Sector Employees of Athens, of Piraeus, of Thessalonica

Workers in LIDL of Attica, Workers in PRAKTIKER, Workers in ARVANITIDIS