USING fast-track procedures, the Greek government SYRIZA (Coalition of Radical Left) leader Alexis Tsipras is pushing through the Vouli (Greek parliament) today the first set of the new bail-out austerity accords, as dictated by the EC and IMF overlords.
A second set of austerity accords is to follow most likely in October. The Greek conservatives, the social-democrats and the Potami party, have stated that they will vote yes to secure over 50bn euros (from EU’s ESM – European Stability Mechanism fund) for the collapsed Greek capitalist economy.
The IMF is considering providing further loans in the next few months. Of this 50bn euros, some 20-30bn euros will go for the ‘recapitalisation’ of the bankrupt Greek banks and the rest will go back to the EU as repayments of past loans.
SYRIZA’s Left Platform parliamentary deputies have stated that they will vote against the new austerity accords. Also voting against will be the Greek Communist Party (KKE) and the neo-nazis of the Golden Dawn party.
The Federation of Public Sector Trades Unions ADEDY has called a protest rally for this evening outside the Vouli. ADEDY demands the scrapping of all austerity accords, the write-off of the public debt and the nationalisation of the banks. The ADEDY action is considered as a ‘blank shot in the air’ by Greek workers.
SYRIZA’s trade union section META is supporting the action and has called on all trades unions to organise the fight against austerity. The new bail-out austerity accords Bill is entitled ‘Agreement of Financial Assistance from the European Stability Mechanism’ and dictates a budget deficit of 0.25 per cent of GDP in 2015, followed by surpluses of 0.5 per cent in 2016, 1.75 per cent in 2017, and 3.5 per cent in 2018.
It envisages a deep recession in 2015-16 but economic growth in 2017. This means an all-out attack on workers’, poor farmers’ and self-employed incomes and a decimation of social services with colossal cuts in public health and education sectors.
The new austerity Bill, dictated by the European Commission and IMF, re-imposes the hated home tax on all, and wipes out all tax concessions to poor farmers. The petrol price for their tractors will be trebled by next year while farmers will have to pre-pay their taxes!
The same goes for the self-employed and small shop-keepers whose tax rate increases to 27 per cent, higher than that for business which is 26 per cent. Ship-owners are called to pay increased taxes as well, but these taxes in proportion to shipping companies profits are very low.
New fast-track procedures for businesses are introduced which overrule labour law and environmental legislation. All Greek sea ports, airports and the gas state company are to be sold off. The new austerity Bill completes the economic dictatorship of the EC and IMF over the Greek state.
The State Incomes Department of the Finance Ministry, the State Statistics Authority and the Privatisation Fund are all to become independent, that is out of the control of the Greek government and into the hands of EU-appointed personnel.
In a statement, the Trotskyists of the Revolutionary Marxist League (RML) said that the fight against the austerity accords is a fight for the overthrow of the treacherous SYRIZA ‘left’ government and of capitalism.
This requires, the RML said, the organisation of an indefinite political general strike and the building of a mass revolutionary party of the Fourth International to organise the taking of power by the working class.