TENS of thousands of workers, youth, students and professionals demonstrated on May Day in over 80 Greek cities and towns. In all marches, the main slogans chanted were against the EC-IMF-ECB troika’s austerity as well as against the Greek coalition government’s submission.
Under glorious sunshine in Athens, some 25,000 workers and students demonstrated through the city centre in three separate marches organised by the GSEE (Greek TUC), the Greek Communist Party (KKE) while the third independent march was organised by several trades unions and left wing parties.
The Trotskyists of the Revolutionary Marxist League distributed their May Day leaflet calling on workers to overthrow of the austerity government formed by SYRIZA (Coalition of the Radical Left) and ANEL (Independent Greeks) and go forward to a socialist workers’ and small farmers’ government based on Popular Assemblies (Councils of Action).
The Athens’ independent trades unions march proved to be the biggest with over 15,000 workers joining it from hospitals, transport, civil service, the ERT state TV and radio, bookshops, telecom and electronic industry, and catering.
Large contingents of migrant workers from Africa and Asia as well as refugees from Turkey and Palestine joined the march. Students were represented by a very large contingent of the Athens Polytechnic.
The dominant chant on this march was ‘No to “left” austerity – we will throw out all austerity accords!’. Throughout the march workers shouted slogans against the EC, IMF, NATO and unemployment and privatisations. Greek armed riot police and police buses prevented the demonstrators from marching to the European Union’s offices in Athens.
Yesterday the shop workers’ federation carried out yet another national strike against Sunday opening. Shops in the Athens city centre were picketed by workers. The Greek government promised that there will be no Sunday opening but now it refuses to honour its promise.
The Greek government’s spokesperson said yesterday that the EC-IMF-ECB troika is demanding legislation to allow mass sackings and prevent free national labour collective agreements.
