In a symbolic act, strikers in Herakleio, Crete, buried the pension and social security reform bill on Tuesday, the day Greece paralyzed due to the 24-hour strike. Some of the bill protesters in Heraklio wore Death costumes and held pruning shears in order to point out to the negative effects the bill will have on workers.
via neakriti
The bill tabled by Labor Minister Nikos Vroutsis increases social security contributions for self-employed, does not include any supportive measures to low-pensioners, scraps any hope for a 13th pension, decreases the budget to tackle unemployment, creates an uneven social contributions scheme for employed and self-employed.
Vroutsis has been criticized not only by the unions of the private and public sector but also by the more neo-liberal wing of his own party New Democracy as the bill doe snot include any provisions for the “privatization of the pensions system.”
The bill has also positive provisions like the decrease of the necessary “work stamps” (IKA/EFKA) for access to the health care. For employees, the stamps are decreased from 75 to 50 working days and 2 months for the self-employed.
Another positive provision is that pensioners who work will received 70% of their pension and not just 30% as it was before.
In Athens, unionists of the Communist party KKE gathered early to protest the bill.
Από τη συγκέντρωση του #ΠΑΜΕ στα Προπύλαια για το #ασφαλιστικό #απεργια pic.twitter.com/G39UmuufoK
— EFSYN (@EFSYNTAKTON) February 18, 2020
Unionists of public sector ADEDY marching through Athens
Από τη συγκέντρωση της ΑΔΕΔΥ #απεργια pic.twitter.com/DmRCApeaMg
— EFSYN (@EFSYNTAKTON) February 18, 2020
Speaking to media, unionists criticized that the pension age remains at 67 years with 40 years working life, that there are absolutely no provisions to restore the cuts in main and supplementary pensions as they were implemented in the ten years of the economic crisis.
The conservative government went into counter-attack saying “the unionists from SYRIZA and KKE” organized the strike thus disrupting and paralyzing the economic life in the country.
The chairman of the public sector union ADEDY said, though, that he belongs to DAKE fraction, a union affiliated with New Democracy.
Workers at all public transport means in Athens joined the 24-hour strike with the effect that thousands of commuters took their own car thus creating endless traffic jams on Tuesday morning.
Workers at trains and Proastiakos created a mess as they did not inform the public in time about their mobilization.
Ferries and ships remain docked at the ports until midnight Tuesday due to the Seamen strike.
PS It must be the XX pensions reforms bill since the beginning of the crisis. I admit: I have lost account.
