A new blow to his unity was suffered by SYRIZA on Saturday. The moment the Stefanos Ksselakis was speaking to the Central Committee, 51 trade unionists announced their withdrawal from the party of Koumoundourou, stressing in their text that the new president is “dissolving SYRIZA”.

In more detail, the announcement of trade unionists:

“SYRIZA-PS is experiencing a dissolution crisis. The new President of the party and the leadership group refuse to recognize and discuss the political core of the problem. Instead, they choose the interpretive scheme of the “enemy within” and the “Fifth Phalanx.” At this moment, SYRIZA-PS is sinking into disrepute and discredit. It is a painful and dissolving process that affects not only the historic party of the Left, but the progressive forces and the Republic of the country as a whole.

Stefanos Kasselakis was democratically elected. But it is acting undemocratically. It dissolves SYRIZA-PS and turns it into an amorphous party, while at the same time its political brand emits a jumble of contradictory opinions without any programmatic depth. An indication of this pathogenicity is his intervention at the BSE Congress where he appeared as a defender of Capital as an instrument of social welfare, arguing that Labor can have a cooperative rather than a competitive relationship with Capital. It is, unfortunately, a course of no return.

All of us who sign this text recognize the need and take responsibility for a decisive break in the path of degeneration and discredit of the Left in our country. We recognize our own responsibilities in tolerating, in the name of political unity, problematic phenomena that led to the crisis of the party, tolerating divisive attitudes that fueled the anti-SYRIZA front and distanced leftist and progressive citizens from us.

At the same time, we remain proud of what we achieved in the period 2015-2019 with the country’s first Left government with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, when SYRIZA took on the task of saving the social cohesion of a bankrupt country. We are keeping from this valuable and difficult battle the major cuts in social and labor policy, the emphatic strengthening of SEPE, the co-responsibility of contractors, the valid reason for dismissal, the abolition of the minimum wage, the reinstatement of sectoral contracts.

And above all, we keep the awareness that the modern Left is the one that fights and plans, that speaks concretely and takes responsibility for the practice of politics, that changes people’s lives today.

Political time is dense and requires bold steps. The old recipes have shown their limits.

We, elected trade unionists, are today withdrawing from SYRIZA-PS. The step we take starts from a hard admission. The situation that has been consolidated in SYRIZA-PS does not allow us to defend, implement and renew the program and the political plan of the Left on the basis of which we claimed the support and vote of the citizens in the recent electoral contests.

But today we are taking a step that looks to the future. Greece needs a politically strong and programmatically visionary left progressive opposition, which will not only challenge the hegemony of the New Democracy, but will create the conditions for its overthrow. Political time is dense and requires bold steps. The old recipes have shown their limits.

We can win. The time has come for a new path for the country that will be based on the great visions of the Left, on the achievements of the Post-colonialism, but at the same time will promote decisive intersections and progressive policies that give substance to the modern content of the Republic: a society of equality, freedom and justice. A society of safety, inclusion and a better life.

We will devote all our energies to this goal.”

Who signs

ALEXANDRA ANGELOPOULOU – GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE NATIONAL BANK EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

ALEXANDROPOULOS ALEXANDROS – PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ALL NATURE TRUCK DRIVERS OFFICES & TOURIST BUSES & PASSENGERS D.C. (TAXI AGORIA) OF SERRON

AMBLAS THEMISTOKLIS – MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF GEE & PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERATION OF TRANSPORT TRADE UNIONS OF GREECE (OSME)

ANDREOU CHRISTINA – MEMBER OF NE BANKS AND INSURANCE COMPANIES

VAVATSIKOS VASILIS – ASSOCIATION OF EMPLOYEES OF POSTAL COURIER COMPANIES OF ATTICA (SETTEA)

VAMBOURELLIS THEOFRASTOS* – BOARD MEMBER OF THE LABOR CENTER OF ATHENS

VASDEKIS APOSTOLIS – ASSOCIATION OF EMPLOYEES OF POSTAL COURIER COMPANIES OF ATTICA (SETTEA)

BELISSAROPOULOS DIMITRIOS – PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF TOURIST BUS GUIDES OF ACHAIA ILIA

GERODIMOS NIKI – DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE PANHELLENIC BUS PERSONNEL ASSOCIATION

GEORGIOU KONSTANTINOS – SECRETARY OF MART CASH&CARRY EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION

GIOLDASIS GIORGOS – GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE GREECE TRANSPORT TRADE UNION FEDERATION (OSME) & BOARD MEMBER OF ILPAP EMPLOYEES UNION

GOGOS GIORGOS – MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF LABOR CENTER PIRAEUS & GEN. SECRETARY OF THE PORTER’S UNION P.L.P

DIMONITSAS DIMITRIS – PRESIDENT OF THE BUILDING ASSOCIATION OF SALAMINAS

PETROS DIPLARIS – VICE PRESIDENT OF ATTICA TAXI DRIVERS ASSOCIATION

ZAMPATI IIRENI* – MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE FEDERATION OF INSURANCE ASSOCIATIONS OF GREECE

ZIS THANASIS – GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE PANHELLENIC FEDERATION OF ASSOCIATIONS OF WORKERS IN PRIVATE LAW RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS

ZIOGAS SOTIRIS- VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNION OF TRANSPORT WORKERS OF EPIRUS & CORFU ISLAND REGION

THEOFILATOS MARIOS – EXECUTIVE MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF LABOR CENTER OF ATHENS

KALAVANOS YIANNIS – TRADE UNIONIST OF THE PAPER PRINTING FEDERATION

KAPIRIS NIKOS – PRESIDENT OF THE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION OF AAB

KARAMERIS DIMITRIS – TRADE UNIONIST LARKO

KOPANAS KOSTIS* – REP. GENERAL SECRETARY STAZOE

KOUTINA VASO – PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE EMPLOYEES &
EMPOROYAPALLILON N. KASTORIA & INE GSEE OF WEST MACEDONIA

KOUTSOUKOS GIORGOS – OTE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

GEORGIOS KYPRIANOS – TREASURER OF THE PANHELLENIC BUS PERSONNEL ASSOCIATION

ANNA KOSTOPOULOU – BOARD MEMBER OF TECHNICIAN LESSEES ASSOCIATION

KOTSIS KOSTAS – PRESIDENT OF THE KTEL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION OF ATTICA PROVINCE

LAZAROPOULOU YOTA*- MEMBER OF OTOE GS & PRESIDENT OF ETHNIKI BANKE EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

MAKRYPOULIAS FOTIOS – PRESIDENT OF THE PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY WORKERS

MANDADAKIS LEONIDAS – MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF BOARD OF EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION OF EAB

MOUMTZIDIS DIMITRIS* – PRESIDENT OF THE DIAXON EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION OF KOMOTINI

ALEXANDROS BALAKERAS – VICE PRESIDENT OF THE TRADE UNION FEDERATION
OF TRANSPORT OF GREECE (OSME) & BOARD MEMBER OF IOANNINE LABOR CENTER

BARIANOS PANTELIS – VICE PRESIDENT OF OSE WORKERS ASSOCIATION

BOUKAS STAMATIS – BOARD MEMBER – FINANCIAL SECRETARY OF THE AGRICULTURAL BANK OF PIRAEUS EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION (SETAP)

NIKAKIS DIMITRIS – TRADE EMPLOYEES NETWORK

PALOUKOS DIMITRIS – MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF THE CORFU LABOR CENTER & PRESIDENT
CORFU TAXI DRIVERS HIRE ASSOCIATION

GIORGOS PAPADIMITRIOU – PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF POSTAL COURIER EMPLOYEES OF ATTICA (SETTEA)

PARAMERITIS KONSTANTINOS – VICE PRESIDENT SETTEA

ROUSSOU ANTONIA – GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE PANHELLENIC BUS PERSONNEL ASSOCIATION

SIMOS GRIGORIS – BOARD MEMBER OF THE PANHELLENIC ASSOCIATION OF EMPLOYEES IN HELLENIC PETROLEUM

GEORGIOS SKEPTZAKIS – PRESIDENT OF PRIVATE TELEVISION TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION (ETITA)

STAVARAS STEFANOS – BOARD MEMBER OF THE GREECE TRANSPORT UNION FEDERATION (OSME) & PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF URBAN AND URBAN BUS PERSONNEL MOVEMENT ASSOCIATION OF THE NORTH OF LARISA

SYVRIDAKI MARINIKI* – TRADE EMPLOYEES NETWORK

SIGGENIOTOU MARGARITA* – BOARD MEMBER OF THE UNION OF LYRICAL PERFORMERS OF GREECE

Tsiridis PANTELIS – VICE PRESIDENT OF THE MART CASH&CARRY EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

GEORGIOS TSOUKALELIS – DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE ASSOCIATION OF PERSONNEL MOVEMENT OF URBAN & RURAL BUS NORTH OF LARISA

ANASTASIA FRANZESKAKI – MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF OMILE

CHARONITIS STYLIANOS* – BOARD MEMBER OF MART CASH&CARRY EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION

HATZOULIS FOTIS – GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE PERSONAL MOVEMENT ASSOCIATION OF URBAN & INTRA-RURAL BUS NORTH OF LARISA

CHRISTODOULOY CHRISTODOULOS – PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF CAR PERSONNEL OF THEBIS PROVINCE “HERMIS”

PSILOPOULOS THEOPHANIS – TREASURER OF LIVADEIA WORK CENTER & PRESIDENT OF LIVADEIA PROVINCE KTEL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION