Public services, schools, banks, courts closed, hospitals and health service with emergency staff, ferries docked and main disruptions in public transport means are the main features of the 24-hour general strike decided by workers unions in public and private sector.
Two months after it came to power, neo-liberal New Democracy faces its first biggest challenge with thousands of employees to protest the “development law” that strikes a blow to labor rights.
One of the law provisions refers to the right of strike and the electronic register for trade union members.
“Aim of the law is that the government controls employees’ unions and to undermine the workers’ right to strike,” public sector union ADEDY said in its strike statement.
It lists the e-register for trade unions’ members, the electronic vote for strikes, an overhaul of the business bargain agreement over the collective bargaining in case of financial problems of a company.
The protest on September 24th has been launched by ADEDY and unions in the private sector. As the private sector unions umbrella GSEE is under provisional court-appointed administration and cannot call for a strike, it has invited 150 federations and labor centers to participate in today’s protest.
Who is on Strike
Closed are public services, schools and banks.
Public hospitals work with emergency personnel after hospitals workers and doctors unions decided their participation in the protest.
The union of trade, food and supermarket workers has also invited its members to participate.
Ferries and ships are docked at the ports, even though a court ruled the strike was illegal following shipowners lawsuit.
Workers at Public Transport means are either on 24-hour strike or on work stoppage.
Journalists’ Union ESHEA is on work stoppage from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., workers union at state broadcaster ERT are on 24h.
Protest Rally
A protest rally is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at Klafthmonos Square in downtown Athens.
The strike and the work stoppage of public transport means has caused endless traffic jams in the streets of the Greek capital in the morning.
PS When latest public opinion polls show that 63% of Greeks see the government “positive” I wonder why there is a general strike. It must be the 37% that will go on the streets and protest….
