Workers Revolutionary Party - One year since Greek riot police broke up ERT occupation

The News Line: News Monday, 10 November 2014 One year since Greek riot police broke up ERT occupation

Sacked Greek Finance Ministry cleaners at the ERT rally. Their banner reads ‘We have taken up the gauntlet – Re-employment now’

SACKED Greek ERT state TV and radio workers held a rally last Friday evening outside the main administrative and production building in a suburb of Athens on the first anniversary of the armed riot police’s invasion which broke up the workers’ occupation.

Over 1,000 workers and youth participated in the rally including delegations of industrial workers, the sacked Greek Finance Ministry cleaners, sacked teachers, sacked school guards, journalists and Culture Ministry temporary contract workers.

In June 2013, the Greek coalition government sacked all 2,500 ERT employees, journalists, technicians, administrative staff, TV directors and designers. At 4am on 7 November 2013, squads of armed riot police stormed the ERT building which had been for five months under workers’ occupation.

Early this year, the government set up a new state TV station named NERIT with about 300 temporary contract employees at low wages. NERIT has been exposed on several occasions as the openly propaganda organ of the government.

The sacked ERT workers have set up Internet radio stations at their union POSPERT offices across the road from the main state TV and radio building and are carrying out a daily struggle to survive and produce programmes.

Kostas Spalouros from the Khalkida city cement factory trade union, told News Line a court will decide next month if the cement company can carry out mass sackings. ‘Up to now 130 workers have been sacked but we are fighting.’

On behalf of the sacked Ministry of Finance cleaners, Dimitra Manoli said that, ‘We followed your (ERT workers’) example and we are still in struggle along with the school teachers and school guards, and we shall continue our fight together because we will win.’

Marios Lolos, the President of the Greek Press Photographers Trade Union, said that, ‘We must organise in the trades unions and in the Popular Assemblies to throw out this government. That’s the task.’