“To mean an alarm for every worker, mobilizing all forces to give a militant and strike response to the new extreme bill that is a cause of war” was the message sent by PAME, unions and organizations with the protest rally they held at noon on Tuesday at Ministry of Labor “against the new anti-labor monstrosity that the ND government is preparing to bring to extend flexibility and a new blow to strike and trade union action».

The rally’s central slogan was “No to 16-hour work – No work to 74, 35-hour-7-hour days, brave increases”.

The gathering was attended by representatives of dozens of labor unions, students and pupils, the Greek Women’s Federation, pension organizations and the self-employed. Louisa Razou, member of the PG of the KE and Diamanto Manolakou, member of the KE and member of parliament, also attended on behalf of the KE.

Speaking at the rally, Giorgos Perros, on behalf of the PAME secretariat, initially denounced the absence of Minister Adonis Georgiadis, who, as he said, “while he knew about the mobilization he was in Rhodes”.

“But we are here“, he emphasized, “because the government is doing what it promised to the employers».

“The new bill should sound an alarm, they want no right to be left standing. This monstrosity strikes at the heart of the fixed and daily working time with which businesses want to untangle and formality. This is done for their profits,” he noted.

He denounced the media for “presenting the bill as a positive development” and for “lying when they claim that the poor conditions are the worker’s choice”. “Did the worker at EVGA who worked 12 hours continuously and died on the machine have a free choice? Did the worker at the Elefsina Shipyards who worked at noon and died had a free choice?” he said.

“Rights and profits do not go together. They see that struggles are coming and that’s why they intensify the repression, that’s why they intensify the attack on the right to strike” pointed out G. Perros, denouncing the attitude of the GSEE “which turns its back on anti-labor plans by cultivating complacency and beautifying the EU».

“In the face of the new war that has been declared, we are giving an alarm signal, mobilizing all our forces, we are preparing competitive, strike mobilizations without any delay or waiting. This means informing employees immediately. The Boards of Labor Centers, Federations, and Trade Unions are preparing collective procedures. We are putting into this battle as many forces as are here now. We are creating conditions for mass participation and when everyone returns from leave, everyone enters the battle” he underlined and added: “The message to the government, big business and the minister is: As happened with Laskaris, Katrougalos and others, their laws will remain On paper. We are not afraid of fines or imprisonment».

Mais Mendis, president of the Labor Center of Lavrio – Eastern Attica, stated that “one day before the statements of the Minister of Labor about 16 hours of work, the Labor Center had met with workers at the airport where the miserable working conditions due to 12 and 13 hours of work were found they even lead to fainting.”

Leonidas Grammatikos, secretary of the Attica Metal and Shipbuilding Industry Union of Greece, emphasized that “the workers cannot accept living in 19th century conditions today when there is the possibility to live and work better”, stressing “we refuse to live to work and to take out the employers’ profits”.

Valsamos Syrigos mentioned the continuous labor “accidents”, announcing that “there will be an intervention at the “El. Venizelos” airport to take measures to protect the workers”.