Re-birth of our power

Greek workers lead Europe out on strike

Corey Oakley 26 February 2010

Workers demonstrate in Athens, February 24 Greece ground to a halt on Wednesday as 2 million workers (from a total workforce of only 5 million) went out on strike in protest against harsh government austerity measures. Almost all flights in and out of the country were cancelled, and Athens International airport was closed altogether as air-traffic controllers joined the action. Most public transport was also not operating, with the only services running in Athens being those taking strikers to and from the mass protests, in which around 30,000 participated. Schools, government offices, public hospitals and courthouses were closed. Even tourist attractions like the Acropolis in Athens were shut down. As a result of journalists joining the strike most national newspapers did not come out on Thursday. Wednesday’s action was the highpoint so far of a growing wave of resistance in Greece. Two weeks ago there was a one-day public sector shutdown, and there has not been a day since without some section of workers out on strike. This battle is crucial to the class struggle across the whole of Europe. Greece, with its militant workers’ movement and relatively strong left, is being seen as a test case by governments across the continent, who (rightly) think that if workers’ resistance can be crushed in Greece, it will be much easier for them to impose austerity measures in their own country. The Pasok government of Prime Minister George Papandreou, under pressure from bankers and the EU, is trying to ram through savage wage reductions, hundreds of thousands of job cuts in the public sector, and severe attacks on public services and the pension. The government and the ruling class are determined that it is workers who will bear the burden of the financial crisis. As one striking worker, Yiannis Anastakis, who works at the Olympic Stadium, told the UK Socialist Worker, “The people who have money in Greece don’t pay taxes. But the government won’t take money from the rich – instead it looks to get more from the low-paid.” But Greek workers are not meekly accepting their role as guinea pigs for a European bosses’ offensive. “This is the red line,” said Nikos Goulas, head of a union that represents 20,000 workers at Athens international airport. “Greece is not Ireland. If the government does not back down there will be huge unrest,” he added, holding a banner that proclaimed: “As much as you terrorise us, these measures won’t pass.” The determination not to allow Greek workers to suffer the same fate as those in Ireland, who have been generally unsuccessful in resisting government cutbacks over the past year, was reflected in banners at recent protests proclaiming that “We are not Ireland, we will resist” and “The workers’ answer is war on the capitalists”. It is not only in Greece that workers are starting to fight back. On Tuesday in Spain tens of thousands of workers took to the streets protesting against a drive by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to implement wide-ranging attacks on pensions and workers’ rights. This in a country where the working class is already under the pump, with unemployment now over 4 million. Some union leaders have already threatened a general strike if Zapatero tries to impose reforms. “If it is done by decree, then the reply will be at that level,” warned Javier López of the Workers Commissions union. In France air-traffic controllers commenced a 4-day strike on Tuesday, forcing the cancellation of around 50 per cent of domestic and short-haul international flights from Paris’s Orly airport and one-quarter of flights at Charles de Gaulle, the main international airport in Paris. On Saturday French airline pilots also plan to begin industrial action against job cuts. Refinery workers have also taken strike action in defence of their jobs. Transport unions in the Czech Republic plan to hold a strike in the capital Prague on Monday in protest against a new value-added tax on their workers’ benefits. Other demonstrations and strikes have also taken place in Portugal, Germany and Italy over the last few days. This wave of industrial action and protest across Europe has the media, the bosses and governments in a frenzy of denunciation. There is no doubt they will do everything in their power to prevent workers from defending their rights. The battle that is beginning will be bitter and protracted. But as the actions we have already seen show, European workers, when they are prepared to use their industrial muscle, have the power to disrupt the smooth operation of the system and challenge the power of the corporate heads, the bankers and the state. As the economic crisis enters a new phase – the centrepiece of which is an offensive against social spending, wages and jobs – workers will need to be prepared to bring that power to bear.