GREEK farmers staged mass tractor motorway blockades on Thursday and Friday, while also blocking customs entry points into Greece from neighbouring Balkan countries, as their protests reached 50 days.
Thousands of tractors were placed on all motorways and major roads.
Last Wednesday, four government ministers, speaking during a nationwide televised programme, offered farmers cheaper petrol and electricity prices alongside tax concessions.
At the same time, Greece’s Supreme Court chief prosecutor instructed prosecutors and police across the country to act swiftly against road blockades and traffic disruptions linked to the ongoing farmers’ protests.
Armed riot police units were stationed close to the farmers’ blockades, but they did not intervene.
Following mass meetings held at blockade sites on Wednesday evening, farmers rejected the government’s offer and dismissed the chief state prosecutor’s threats.
On Thursday, as it became clear that the motorway blockades were widespread and firmly held, the government announced that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was willing to meet delegations of farmers next Tuesday.
Mitsotakis, who was in Paris for the European Union’s ‘willing countries’ conference on Ukraine, was informed that French President Emmanuel Macron had decided to vote against the EU-Mercosur agreement, reportedly alongside Ireland, Poland and Belgium.
With tractors already in Paris, Macron was working to secure a sizable minority capable of blocking the Mercosur agreement in Friday’s EU vote.
Farmers are due to discuss their struggle and the government’s position this weekend at a nationwide meeting of representatives from the blockade sites.
Many trade unions have expressed solidarity and support for the farmers’ struggle, yet there have been no mobilisations or strikes to unite the farmers’ and workers’ struggles against the Mitsotakis government.
Only last Tuesday, two teachers’ trade union branches issued a call for a rally in support of the farmers, scheduled to take place this Sunday outside the Vouli, the Greek parliament.
The teachers’ trade unions’ call, dated 6 January, states:
‘We call on every trade union, trades councils and on ADEDY (public sector trades unions federation) and GSEE (Greek TUC) to proceed with an all-workers’ 24-hour strike before 15 January, to organise a rally at Vouli on Sunday 11 January at 12 noon, and to support and participate in the farmers’ blockades.
‘To break the government’s intransigence. To meet all farmers’ demands and those of the workers.
‘For a struggle to overthrow the reactionary government policy in labour, agriculture, education and health.
‘For united workers, farmers and youth to overthrow the policies and the government of poverty, authoritarianism, fraud and war!’
