OVER 40,000 students, youth and workers took part in the Athens Polytechnic Uprising commemoration march in Athens last Monday evening from the city centre to the USA Embassy.
It was a militant anti-government march with students constantly chanting ‘Freedom to Palestine’ and ‘Forward to our generation’s uprisings’.
They shouted with slogans against the right wing Prime Minister K. Mitsotakis, the EU, NATO, American imperialism, Zionism and riot police violence.
Every year in Athens on the 17th of November, students organise a mass march to commemorate the 1973 Polytechnic Uprisring against the military dictatorship which ruled Greece in 1967-74.
Over 50 students and workers were massacred by the Greek army and the police when they stormed the Polytechnic Occupation.
Large and militant Polytechnic Uprising marches were held throughout Greece even in the islands of the Aegean.
In the city of Thessaloniki, north Greece, many thousands marched to the American Consulate where they burned US flags.
The marches were stark proof of the readiness of the youth and of the working class to wage war against the EU-NATO-supported Mitsotakis parliamentary junta which carries out the dismantling of state health and education, has imposed starvation wages while high prices on food, household bills and rents are hitting hard workers’, farmers’ and middle class families’ pockets.
Large delegations of school teachers associations and hospital workers trade unions took part in the Athens march along with conscript Greek army soldiers.
The day before the march, Greek Prime Minister K. Mitsotakis met in Athens with Ukrainian President V. Zelensky and signed an agreement for American LNG to be delivered to the Ukraine through Greece, overseen by the US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, an ex-Fox News host.
Last week Kaja Kallas, the Estonian EU’s Representative on Foreign and Security Affairs, visited Athens to dictate that Greece should provide more finance and military aid to the Ukraine as well as increase military spending.
In the last two years the Mitsotakis government has spend over 30 billion euros on frigates from France and military aircraft from the USA.
Mitsotakis is also buying missiles and other military equipment from Israel. Consequently state finances for the health service, education and public services have been slashed.
- Hellenic Train workers and train drivers held a 24-hour nationwide strike on Tuesday, 18 November, running from 00:01 to 24:00, in accordance with a formal notice delivered to the company’s management.
The walkout was unanimously approved by the boards of the Hellenic Train Workers’ Union and the Panhellenic Union of Locomotive Personnel.
The unions said the strike had become ‘a necessity’, accusing the company of showing ‘systematic indifference’ toward long-standing and serious operational problems.
They also pointed to the previous work stoppage, during which, according to workers’ representatives, Hellenic Train failed to participate in the public dialogue process before the Mediation and Arbitration Organisation (OMED).
Key issues raised include persistent delays on routes, deteriorating rolling stock, staff shortages and declining working conditions at technical facilities.
The unions cite recent incidents such as flooding at the Renti engine shed and falling plaster at a Thessaloniki installation, arguing that these highlight unsafe workplaces, poor infrastructure maintenance and understaffing in critical roles.
They also warn that staffing gaps have led to intensified workloads and exhausting schedules, which they say compromise the safety of both employees and passengers.
They further allege ‘unjustified dismissals’ in recent years, including the firing of an employee with 40 years of service, and condemn a climate of ‘fear and intimidation’ inside the company.
Concerns have also been raised about the new customer-care service, with workers reporting frequent schedule changes and complaints of harassing behaviour by certain managers.
The unions’ demands include immediate hiring and full staffing of services, adherence to working hours and health standards, repairs and modernisation of depots and equipment, measures to reduce delays, job protection and proper disciplinary procedures.
They call for the reinstatement of dismissed staff, improved hygiene at stations, and completion of infrastructure projects with upgraded safety systems.
The unions are calling on Hellenic Train to enter public dialogue through OMED and warn that failure to engage will result in a further escalation of strike action.
Small-value purchases made by European consumers from third-country platforms, such as TEMU and SHEIN, are expected to become more expensive from 2026.
Regulator Ecofin approved the imposition of customs duties even on parcels under 150 euros, abolishing a privilege that in recent years had led to an increase in imports from China.
Greece business representatives say that in 2024 alone, almost 4.6 billion small parcels valued at less than 150 euros entered the European Union.
This volume translates into approximately 12 million parcels per day, while 91% are estimated to come from China, according to Fani Blioumi, president of the Federation of Commerce, Entrepreneurship, and Productivity of Central Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.
Blioumi complained: ‘The problem is that we cannot be competitive. Greek businesses could not face unfair competition.
‘We have already lost a lot of time until these measures are implemented so that consumers can turn to Greek businesses again.’
Regarding the imposition of tariffs, they are expected to restore some balance in the market.
‘From the moment the tariffs are imposed, we will be competitive again, but great damage has already been caused to Greek entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, the state has also lost significant revenue from its coffers,’ emphasised Blioumi.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Commerce, Productivity and Entrepreneurship of Central Eastern Macedonia and Thrace had already sent a letter to the Ministers of National Economy, Finance and Development in June, sounding the alarm about Asian e-commerce platforms.
According to data from the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship, state fiscal losses exceeded 200 million euros in one year, while at least 5,000 jobs have been lost.
A call for sweeping controls on products entering Greece from China has been made by Pantelis Filippidis, president of the Thessaloniki Chamber of Commerce.
He said controls should focus on the EU’s safety standards, claiming: ‘The consumer turns to where he can pay, to platforms that sell almost for nothing. However, they should be aware that many of the products are of dubious quality.
‘That’s where the state must intervene, carrying out checks, taking samples, and sending them to the State Chemical.’
According to recent data from the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship, Greek consumers spent an estimated 529-627 million euros on the Chinese platforms Shein and Temu in 2024.
