Tuesday’s 24-hour general strike called by the GSEE (Greek TUC) against the government’s policies takes place in an explosive period.
The world economic collapse has pushed Greek banks to the wall as the Athens stock exchange dived sharply last week.
US investors are withdrawing funds out of Greece, so urgently needed at home, with the result that all the Greek banks’ stocks lost over 50 per cent of their total price in the last two weeks.
The Finance Minister Yiorghos Alogoskoufis promised 28bn euros aid for the banks in order to save the capitalist system from total collapse. Alogoskoufis stated that the crisis might force him to withdraw and reintroduce the Budget.
The Greek ruling class is being split up on how to deal with the crisis; the Greek Industrialists Association is blaming the banks and the commercial and trade companies both the banks and government policies.
The Association of Shopkeepers has called for all shops throughout Greece to stay shut next Wednesday, in protest against government taxation and the lengthening of shopping hours, which the association says benefits the big department stores and malls.
The current right-wing government of Kostas Karamanlis has to face this week in the Vouli (Greek parliament) the accusations of the Opposition that leading Ministers are involved in a multi-billion property scandal through a monastery.
This affair has taken enormous importance as it encapsulates the grave political crisis of the government.
In Athens, Greek trade unionists and workers are organising a strike rally in the city centre on Tuesday early afternoon; rallies and marches will take place in all Greek cities and towns.
At the forefront of the strike are port and Olympic Airways workers, who are fighting against privatisation and mass sackings, as well as bank and telecommunications workers who are involved in a bitter struggle for the defence of free collective bargaining and contracts and against sackings.
Also at the forefront are the thousands of electricity and power plant workers, who have staged mobilisations against the government intention to privatise, as well as teachers, hospital workers and doctors who have staged many campaigns against the destruction of the NHS by the government.
Many hundreds of school students who are involved in the occupation of their schools are expected to join the strike rally and demonstration.
