The data presented by the media daily, reveal the steady deterioration in the life of the working class.

• 45% of employees are paid with salaries up what was the minimum wage in 2012.

• The percentage in 2012 was 17%.

• The 45% represents both workers with full time contracts, as well as workers with part time, flexible contracts, whose numbers are multiplying constantly.

• According to the recent data of the Social Services Institution (IKA) part time contracts were raised by 30.5%!

• Also, the data reveal that after 2012, through business contracts that were signed the salaries were cut from 10% to 40%. The cuts were even bigger in the cases where contracts were signed by the so called “Individual’s Associations” (legalized formations to represent workers without the trade union, always formed under the employers’ initiatives).

• 80% of those contracts cut the wages to 75% of the minimum wage.

• Full time contracts had average cuts in salaries by 7.47%.

• At the same time taxation to the workers is about 43.4% of the salary.

• The most important allowances were also cut. For example, the unemployment allowance was cut 22%.

• The family allowance, which was to support workers’ families, was abolished completely.

The above mentioned data change day by day, to the worse.

 The role of employers’ and governmental trade unionism

The compromised General Confederation of Workers of Greece (GSEE), without any action, without any struggle, requests the signing of a National Collective Agreement, by extending the last one. The one, which imposed abolishment of the minimum wage, of conquered rights of the working class. They do not even think about organizing the struggle, to fight for reestablishment of salaries, with better wages based on the minimum wage that existed.

The employer’s and government controlled trade unionism, have great responsibilities for today’s condition of the working class. By supporting the argument of “competitiveness of the economy” and “class collaboration”, by cultivating the poisonous position of so called “realistic demands”, not only they did not organize the struggle of the workers and the trade unions, but they opened the path for extreme exploitation, of poverty wages and salaries based on age discriminations.

They have cosigned the abolition of minimum wage, the even lower wages for young workers, and the imposition of flexible working relations.

The employers’ trade unionists only give press releases against the employers, just before they agree with them against the workers.

All this period, not only have they been absent by the struggles of the workers, but they contributed to the deterioration of the life standards of the workers’ families. They support the hunger-policies, they cultivate defeatism, waiting, keeping workers away from militant action. The GSEE has great responsibilities because it supported the lies of the SYRIZA Government, that it would reinstate the minimum wage, thus creating illusions that it is possible without organization and struggle, without struggle against the employers, the EU, to regain rights and conquests that were abolished by the business groups, the governments and the EU.

Recently, the GSEE declared their position in supporting the capitalist economy. They even suggested lay offs, under the condition of social protection for the laid off!!! They demanded cheap energy for the industrialists, so as them to invest. Low interest loans for the capitalists. All these demands to support competitiveness, which means for our exploiters to have bigger profits!!!

 The solution and hope for the working class, which will help the workers’ demands everywhere is joining the Unions. Developing struggles in every sector and branch. A workers’ movement, with its allies, which will be obstacle to the plans of the capital, it will throw away the rottenness of employers’ trade unionism.

The workers, the trade unions must make the signing of collective contracts, of a National Collective Agreement, their own issue, they must take the situation into their own hands

 The proposal of PAME

 The National Collective Agreement is about the minimum wage, the work time, vacation time, allowances. Its signing in favour of the working class, based on the position of recovering the losses of the last years is a key issue for the working class and people.

We have to strengthen the struggle for immediate reinstatement of the minimum wage, by law, as basis for the collective negotiations. Any other alternative will lead to painful deterioration in workers’ income.

The proposal of PAME responds to the issue of protecting the workers from wage cuts and individual contracts, which multiply. It responds to the planning of the 3^rd Memorandum for new wage cuts, for extreme exploitation of the young workers.

The recent elections were a way out for the system, so as to move on with greater political support to the new brutal anti workers measures. We face a new Memorandum-Armageddon, that comes to destroy whatever the previous memoranda left standing.

The proposal of PAME goes against the memoranda and the new agreements of the SYRIZA Government. The proposal of PAME is against the interests of the Business Groups and big Capital who want us to live in poverty, without any rights.

The position of PAME for NCA connects the need to protect the workers’ rights that are left, to cover the losses and advance our demands.

The signing of NCA is not a typical, annual, procedure for improving the salary condition of the workers. All branch negotiations of collective contracts are made based on the NCA. The law 4046/2012 that cut the minimum wage by 22% and 32% for workers under 25 years, resulted in a new attack in all sectors, as the capitalists imposed wage cuts and abolishment of rights everywhere. Also, the level of the minimum wage defines the level of allowances, such as unemployment, and also the level of the pensions.

The response can be given only on the basis of class struggle. We must not let immediate demands to recover our losses, to the hands of the European Union, the “quartet of the Institutions”. THIS IS THE PROPOSAL OF PAME.

The employers, in the name of exiting the crisis, demand the maintaining of this anti-worker “arsenal”, while at the same time demand a new series of privileges and tax-exemptions, and attacking workers’ social security and pension rights. They blackmail that salary raises will lead to unemployment. The European Union protects their interests as an umbrella against the workers demands.

If we do not challenge united, class oriented, massively and coordinated the idea of capitalist profit, which is the core of the capitalists and the Government’s arguments, we will not have positive results. The demands for which we must fight must have as basis the truth that the workers are the producers of the wealth, so we cannot accept the idea of “labour cost” of the employers.

PAME calls the trade unions, the federations, the regional trade union centers to discuss on the proposals for National Collective Agreement, the branch contracts, not to accept the new butchering, new sacrifices for the profits of the monopolies.

 We prepare a massive, militant, workers-people’s wall of resistance against the new measures

• On working relation, liberalization of massive lay offs, cuts and elimination of compensations, new wage cuts, new trade union legislation, which illegalizes trade union activity and strike action

• On social security and pensions, new cuts in pensions, raising of the retirement age limit to 67 years, which means abolishment of pension for the young generations

• Destruction of social security

• Newtaxesof 14 billionsEurosforthepeople.

• Cuts in public Healthcare and Education

 Now is the time to choose path of decisive struggle against the monopolies, their interests and the imperialist organizations, EU, IMF etc

We do not recognize the Public Debt. We fight for its unilateral, complete cancelation. Cancelation of the 3 Memoranda, conflict with EU, IMF, ECB and the other imperialist organizations.

We will not live like slaves! Hope is in the class struggles!

 We fight for:

• Full time, steady jobs, under collective contracts, 7hour day, 5 day week, 35 hour work week, social security, health and safety regulations. Raises in wages and pensions, recover of losses now.

• Abolishment of individual contracts and “Individuals’ Associations”

• No worker under the minimum wage

• No unemployed without allowance, for all unemployment period

• Minimum pension at 80% of minimum wage. Recover losses in pensions. Abolishment of all anti social security legislation

• Stop all auctions for workers’ families

• Fight against privatizations. Against the giving of public wealth to the monopolies, with negative consequences for the people (lay offs, higher prices in electricity, water, transport, communications etc)

Taking into account that the new Government of SYRIZA is not pro-workers, as it supports the interests of the monopolies and the EU. Taking into account that it will go on with the imposition of the measures of the 3^rd Memorandum, it is necessary for the working class to respond. The Government will bring the next days legislation for Social Security, labour relations and anti-trade union legislation against the right to strike and trade union rights.

We prepare and alert the working class, the unemployed, the pensioners, the young workers, the women of the working class who suffer because of the capital. We call them to raise a workers’-people’s wall to stop and cancel new plans. To strengthen the class response, to block the new measures with new, dynamic, massive struggles. To plan and escalate with goal Massive, General, National Strike Response from all Sectors when the Government will attempt to impose the Memorandum. In this direction we organize the struggle, using all forms of struggle.

Athens, September 28, 2015