Over 15,000 teachers and their supporters responded to the call issued by the Executive of the State Secondary Teachers’ Trade Union OLME and staged a rally on Monday evening outside the union’s offices, and a short march to the Vouli (Greek parliament).
The action was in protest against the government’s dictatorial decision to put teachers under ‘civil conscription’ and ‘state of emergency’ laws, and teachers’ rallies were held in all Greek major cities.
It is the first time that a Greek government has imposed ‘civil conscription’ on state employees who are not even on strike yet.
Earlier this year, the EC-IMF-ECB imposed Greek coalition government ‘conscripted’ local government workers, Athens Metro workers and seafarers who were on strike.
Teachers’ branches were meeting yesterday to vote on the OLME Executive’s proposal for a national strike starting this Friday.
The two Greek Communist Party (KKE) members of the Executive voted against the strike, stating that teachers and workers were not willing to take action. Under ‘civil conscription’ laws a strike would be illegal.
The 11-strong OLME Executive called on the GSEE (Greek TUC) and ADEDY (federation of public sector trades unions) to call a general strike for this Friday.
The ADEDY Executive met on Monday and decided to call an all-public workers 24-hour national strike for yesterday and, along with the GSEE, a four-hour national stoppage tomorrow.
This decision was rejected as a betrayal by angry teachers on Monday’s march. The OLME President Nikos Papakhristos said that the ADEDY’s decision was ‘a mockery’ and that OLME would not be participating in such a strike.
Teachers on Monday’s rally were absolutely furious against both the ADEDY and GSEE leaders and the question was put to the OLME Executive for the march to go to the offices of ADEDY and GSEE.
Dozens of trades unions have sent messages of support to OLME.
In its leaflet issued on Monday the Trotskyists of the Revolutionary Marxist League (RML) condemned the ADEDY’s and GSEE’s decision as a ‘betrayal’ of the teachers’ struggle.
The leaflet urged trades unions to come out in solidarity strikes but also to press on the ADEDY and GSEE to declare a general strike for this Friday as demanded by the teachers.
The RML’s leaflet also states that one or two days’ strike is not enough to beat the EC-IMF-imposed government.
What is necessary, the RML states, is the ‘unified strength of the whole working class as expressed in an indefinite political general strike for the overthrow of the government.’
