Workers Revolutionary Party - GREEK GENERAL STRIKE CALLED FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY

The News Line: News Saturday, 8 December 2007 GREEK GENERAL STRIKE CALLED FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY

Greek youth march against government attacks on education

THE Greek right-wing government have intensified their ‘reforms programme’ as trade unions are preparing a general strike set for next Wednesday 12 December.

Last week the government announced a series of attacks designed to intimidate and terrorise workers.

The Electricity Board is to impose a rise of at least seven per cent on domestic electricity bills on top of the eight per cent rise early this year.

The Minister for Transport K Hadjidakis said that the Greek air national carrier Olympic Airways is to be shut down and then sold off.

The Minister for Finance Y Alogoskoufis announced the further privatisation through issuing of shares of the Greek Telecom OTE, the two largest Greek ports in Piraeus and Salonica and the privatisation of the Athens Water Authority.

In the last two weeks the Greek working class have launched a series of solid strikes and mass demonstrations against the government’s ‘reforms’ on pensions.

Teachers, hospital staff and doctors, bank workers, bus and tube drivers, have all made clear their absolute opposition to the pensions’ reforms.

But they have carried out their mobilisations isolated from each other under a leadership which still thinks in terms of reaching even a rotten compromise with the government over pensions, rather than allow the revolutionary anger of Greek workers to become a political all out fight against the Karamanlis government.

As the general strike draws near the government is also taking oppressive measures such as the Minister for Justice’s initiative on a Bill to allow traffic control cameras to photograph and film demonstrations.

This has created a huge outcry by the Athens Bar and university professors, but the GSEE (Greek TUC) and the leaders of the large trade unions remain silent.

The government is clearly making all kinds of preparations to meet next Wednesday’s general strike.

Reports as to next Wednesday’s general strike speak of mass participation and big rallies and demonstrations.

Even middle class professionals – such as civil engineers, doctors, lawyers etc – have decided to join the strike.

But the leaders of the big unions – electricity, transport, communications, construction, hospitals etc – are in no mood to lead a determined fight against the government.

There is no doubt that this is the time to build the Trotskyist movement in Greece.