Some 100,000 workers demonstrated through the Athens city centre last Wednesday as part of the one-day general strike called by the GSEE (Greek TUC) and ADEDY (public sector trade unions federation) against the government’s ‘pensions reforms’.
Rallies and marches took place in every Greek city and town. GSEE estimated that over two-and-a-half million workers participated in the action, the third general strike since last November.
The strike was total in ports, transport and power plants; there were no newspapers printed and no television and radio programmes.
High participation percentages in the strike were reported in hospitals, schools and universities, engineering works, large department stores, local government and mines.
Speaking at the Athens rally GSEE President Yiannis Panagopoulos said that workers would not allow the government to destroy the pensions’ system and emphasised that ‘the GSEE would call yet another general strike if necessary.’
He said the GSEE will demonstrate outside the Vouli (Greek parliament) today where Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is due to spell out the government’s ‘pensions’ reforms’ plans.
Greek Trotskyists of the Revolutionary Marxist League on Wednesday distributed leaflets calling for the organisation of an indefinite general strike to overthrow the Karamanlis government and for the establishment of a workers’ and small farmers’ socialist government.
