Mass media strike on Wednesday, May 1st

The country will be on strike next Wednesday due to May Day.

It is recalled that, by decision of the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Domnas Michailidou, the obligatory holiday of May Day has been moved to Tuesday, May 7, 2024.

“For unions, May Day is a day of strike and not a deferred holiday” notes the GSEEstating how “it does not “claim” that the respective governments declare May 1st as a holiday and, in fact, a transferable and transitory one”.

At the same time, it calls all workers, pensioners, the unemployed, to the 24-hour General Strike for Labor Day on Wednesday, May 1st and in union rallyat 11.00 in the morning, in Klathmonos Square and at the rallies of the Labor Centers.

Specifically, GSEE points out the following:

“With the motto “Every eight hours, everywhere rights, the struggle continues!”, we fight for peace, democracy, justice, dignity, equality, respect for labor rights and labor conquests.

We face the consequences of precision and profiteering, skyrocketing living, housing and energy costs every day.

We require:

• Respect for our value and personality.
• Respect for our health and safety.
• Respect for labor income.
• Respect for our fundamental individual & collective labor rights.
• Respect for our social security rights.

Together for the collective and individual rights of workers, social justice and world peace”.

ADEDY: May 1st is a symbol in the struggle of workers worldwide

Its Executive Committee ADEDY calls on public sector workers to actively “attend” the strike and the strike rallies that will take place on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, throughout the country.

The ADEDY strike gathering in Athens will take place on 11:00 am in Klathmonos Square.

As ADEDY states in its announcement, “This year, May 1st, marks the 138th anniversary of the workers’ uprising in Chicago in 1886.

May 1st is a symbol in the struggle of workers around the world for better working conditions. It is a day of remembrance and honor for those who sacrificed, who fought heroically for our conquests.

The struggles of the workers of Chicago, and later, achieved with sacrifices the establishment of the 8-hour day, social security, the defense of maternity, regular leave, trade union rights, Collective Labor Agreements, but also access to social goods, free Health, Education, Culture services.

These conquests of the workers have been targeted by the government of New Democracy, since, with the anti-labor bills it passed in the Parliament, it abolished the 8-hour working day, the Collective Agreements, as well as our right to strike. He privatized supplementary insurance and EFKA and drastically reduced spending on Health and Education, at a time when the pandemic is galloping and we have so far mourned thousands of dead.

It thus dissolves the three pillars of the welfare state: Health, Education, Social Security.

The large strike mobilization of February 28 sent the message to the government that the workers in the country are fighting to demand real increases in their wages and not mock increases like those given for 2024.

The workers’ mobilizations will continue on May Day and with the 24-hour strike on May 21″ ADEDY points out and lists them main claimswhich are as follows:

• Salary increases immediately 10%.
• Restoration here and now of Gifts and in the State.
• Abolition of the 2% unemployment levy.
• Unfreezing of the 2016-2017 salary scale.
• Tax-free at 12,000 euros.
• Increase and extension of hazardous and unhealthy work allowance.
• Recruitment of permanent staff, to cover the thousands of organizational gaps that exist in the State, especially in the fields of Health, Education, Social Security, etc.
• Supporting the NHS with generous funding.
• Repeal of the Hatzidakis Law (L. 4808/21).
• At the same time, we say no to the privatization of public organizations and agencies.”

Ships tied up on M. Wednesday – PNO strike

The ships will remain tied to the ports on Holy Wednesday, as the Panhellenic Maritime Federation (PNO) announced its participation in the May Day strike.

Specifically, as the P.N.O. states in its announcement, by decision of the Administration, the Federation participates in the pan-Hellenic – all-employee 24-hour strike announced by the GSEE, which begins at 00:01 on 1/5/2024, Wednesday, and expires at midnight of the same day.

The entire announcement of P.N.O.

“The Administration of our Federation, honoring the struggles of Workers and Seamen for Labor Day and recognizing the timeless message of Chicago in 1886, has decided to participate in the pan-Hellenic – pan-labor 24-hour strike announced by the GSEE as part of the celebrations for May Day 2024, which starts at 00.01 on 1-5-2024, Wednesday and ends at 24.00 of the same day”.

The Sailors once again this year pay tribute, respect and memory to the emblematic day that literally changed the course of history and is identified and intertwined with the multifaceted struggles of all Workers in our Country and throughout the world.

In all the lengths and breadths of the globe the Workers are once again uniting their voice by expressing their solidarity, determination and irrevocable decision to continue fighting for a better world, for a better tomorrow for their children and their families.

The Mariners, with the value of human life and dignity at work in mind, continue and intensify their struggle by proposing, among others, the absorption of all unemployed colleagues, the elimination of black unsecured work, the implementation of collective bargaining agreements and legislation and the signing of new Conventions in all categories of ships, the immediate repeal of all anti-labor provisions which literally circumvent our very fundamental trade union rights.

A barrier must finally be put in place to the continuous violation of the legal hours and employment limits of the Mariners, the reduced organizational compositions must be immediately abolished and new ones that really meet modern needs must be established.

The upgrading of medical care and the relief of our retired colleagues from the successive cuts to their main and auxiliary pensions by ensuring lump sums and their uninterrupted and timely payment are also imperative and immediate.

The preservation and upgrading of the Public Character and the Free Maritime Education and Retraining is the spearhead of the claims of our Federation which has positions and proposals that respond to the international leaps and bounds in technological developments and requirements that are shaped by the modern needs and requirements of Shipping ( decarbonisation, fair transition etc) and further strengthen the comparative advantages of the Greek Navy in the international arena. Our Federation is on full vigilance and combat readiness to oppose and repel every effort and policy, wherever it comes from, that aims at our labor rights and conquests that emerged after decades of struggle”.

How will the mass media move?

At the same time, subway, tram, electric (ISAP) and trains they are expected to pull the “handbrake” on Wednesday, with the data so far.

As stated in her announcement, the Panhellenic Federation of Railways and Fixed Track Vehicles, unanimously decided to participate in the 24-hour nationwide strike announced by the G.S.E.E. for M. Wednesday, May 1, 2024. However, relevant announcements from other workers’ unions are expected.

“We honor Labor Day by paying tribute to the dead workers of CHICAGO who fought for labor rights by sacrificing their lives to improve the lives of generations to come, throughout time.

This year’s May Day finds workers and retirees facing an unprecedented crisis of living, fighting for a decent life, fighting for the self-evident as conquests of years are affected, in almost all levels of our lives. That is why we are all called to continue our struggle more vigorously for dignity, equality, for a life without job insecurity, without punctuality, with respect for health, education, our social security rights, our income, our conquests . Stop the impoverishment of workers. As workers we will fight for the productive reconstruction of the country against the applied benefit policies.

As Railwaymen we continue to demand and request:

• Direct recruitment of permanent staff with stable work.
• Restoring the free negotiations of our Collective Bargaining Agreements.
• Increases in wages to deal with the crisis and the cost of living.
• Re-operation of the railway network throughout Greece.
• Upgrading rolling stock.
• Complete restoration of the infrastructure – facilities affected by the natural disasters (e.g. Volos Factory, etc.).
• Better working conditions everywhere.
• Complete clarification and rendering of justice for the tragic accident in TEMPI.
• The Panhellenic Federation of Railways and Fixed Track Vehicles and all Railwaymen will not stop demanding and asking for a Public, Safe, Quality Railway for workers and passengers.

We are participating in the 24-hour general strike on WEDNESDAY MAY 1, 2024, and WE CALL our Member Unions, the Railway Workers, to be actively present at the GSEE gathering in Klathmonos Square (Athens), at 11.00, as well as at the gatherings that will be held against places Labor Centers and Federation of the country”.