We Denounce the Provocative and Dangerous Intervention of ITUC-ETUC In The Internal Affairs of the Greek Trade Union Movement

TO The Trade Unions

Of Europe and the World

 

We Denounce the Provocative and Dangerous Intervention of ITUC-ETUC

In The Internal Affairs of the Greek Trade Union Movement

 

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Federations and the Regional Trade Unions of Greece that cosign this resolutionand on behalf of the thousands of workers and trade unions from all sectors we send you this message of rage and indignation.

We were surprised to be informed that, in contact with the former GSEE President,the General Secretaries of ITUC and ETUC contacted the Greek authorities asking them to take repressive measures against our trade unions and especially our delegates, who expressed their disagreement with the GSEE leadership, in the Congress of the General Confederation of Workers of Greece.

For months, in Greece, our unions have denounced that the specific majority in theleadership of GSEE, the same leadership that cosigned wage cuts for the workers of Greece and handed over our right to go on strike. We have openly denounced the efforts of the GSEE leadership to accept the presence and involvement of employers inside the trade unions of Greece.

Hereare onlyindicatively some of the examples that the majority of the GSEE leadership attempted to present at the Congress as representatives of workers:

Vice-PresidentandTreasurerof Bank Board of Directors, CEOs and HR Managers from Commercial chains,Shipowners, PresidentsandManagingDirectorsofInsuranceCompanies,the President of the Greek-British Chamber, Presidents and Vice-presidents of Limited Companies and hundreds of managers of Ltds Companies.

Moreover, we have made numerous complaints for election fraud, for presentation of false documents and non-existing unions. In addition we have denounced the mismanagement of millions of euros that led members of the Financial Committee (of GSEE) not to sign and not accept the FinanceReport of the outgoing GSEE leadership

Is also very provocative, the remaining in the leadership of the GSEE of the notorious employer D. Karageorgopoulos, who not only is a President, CEO and shareholder of several companies- and therefore not a worker- but also hehas been denounced for the use of armed henchmen against trade unionists at the Congress of the Federation of Private Employees.

Certainly, the complaints are so many, as well as the irregular and improper procedures used by the former GSEE leadership to remain in power, that there are numerous detailed official complaints and denouncements to both the Athens Bar Association and the Greek Courts.

For this weask:

Under what jurisdiction are ITUC-ETUC involved in the internal processes of the Greek trade union movement?

UnderwhatjurisdictionareITUC-ETUC attacking against Federations and Regional Trade Unions that are represented with 10 members in the Administrative Council of the General Confederation of Greek Workers, 3 members in the Executive Committee, 6 membersin the General Council, 4 members in the Financial Committee and other bodies of trade unions? UnderwhatjurisdictiontheITUC-ETUCareattacking trade unions and trade unionists that defend workers’ trade union rights and answer to the workers who elected them?

UnderwhatjurisdictionITUC-ETUC demand the use of repression mechanisms against the legally elected representatives of the Greek Trade Unions, by the governments that imposed on Greece the memorandums and banned the Collective Bargaining and Workers’ Rights in Strike?

Underwhat jurisdiction do ITUC-ETUC announce that GSEE will hold its Congress on April 4th, when this has not been decided by a collective body of the Greek Trade Union Movement?

The intervention of ITUC-ETUC aims to support employers who want to be elected as workers’ representatives, to support a trade union mafia that is supported by the big business groups and the governments of the memorandums.

WhatWorkers’ TradeUnionsacceptPresidents of Ltd. and Bankers as members? ProbablyforITUC-ETUC it is normal to represent workers, people that have 30,40 or 50 times more the wage of a worker.

The provocative intervention ofITUC-ETUC on the internal affairs of the Greek trade union movement is based only on their aim to maintain in the General Confederation of Greek Workers a leadership with practices of trade union mafia! A leadership that supported the anti-workers’measures and protected the multinationals of Greece against the unions and trade unionists who are really fighting for the interests of the workers. In their blind attempt to attack the militant, real workers’ trade unions in Greece, they did not even keep anypretexts.

The Trade Unions of Greece, the Federations, the Regional Trade Unions, elected to the trade union bodies of the General Confederation, who are struggling for trade unions of workers and not of the employers, we will not deliver the unions to them.

Responsibleto decide the present and the future of their unions are the workers of each country, withoutforeign interventions. TheinterventionofITUC-ETUCisprovocativeanddangerous.

We continue to serve the workers and the demands for the rights of the working class.

We give to them the trade union mafia of the employers, the EU and the business groups.

We Are Struggling For aCongressWith Real Delegates

A Congress with Employers Can Not Be Realized

 

The Greek National Federations of:

Construction Workers

Workers in Textile Industries

Accountants

Workers in Pharmaceutical Industries

Workers in Food-Drink Industries

Workers in Bottled Drinks Industries

Workers in Press-Paper Industries

Pensioners of IKA

 

The Regional Trade Union Centers of:

Agrinion

Arta

Lavrion-East Attica

Larisa

Lamia

Lesvos

Lefkada

Naousa

Giannena

Zakinthos

Kefalonia-Ithaki

North Dodecanese

Thesprotia