Strike on November 26:Immediate measures to protect people's lives - We defend our lives and our rights

Dozens of Federations, Labor Centers and Trade Unions across the country have decided to go on strike and are preparing for the strike on November 26. Among them are the Federations of hospital doctors, builders, workers in the pharmaceutical industry, and the Labor Centers of Athens, Piraeus, Patras and dozens of other cities. The shipping workers' unions decided to hold a 24-hour nationwide strike in all ship categories, while the workers of the Athens urban transport also participate in the strike.

The All-Workers' Militant Front (PAME), in its announcement on the strike on November 26, stresses the following:

“On November 26, we go on strike! To protect our lives, our health, and our rights from the fierce attack by the government and business groups.

The decisive stance of the trade unions and workers who took part in the mobilizations organized throughout Greece for the militant commemoration  of the Polytechnic Uprising on November 17 broke in practice the prohibitions and authoritarianism of the government. They canceled its plan to prevent the struggles and demands of the people for the protection of their life and health.

Instead of taking measures to protect the lives and health of workers, the government is promoting bills ordered by the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises and business groups. These bills include:

• The 10-hour workday, working from dawn to dusk with a salary of 200 euros.
• The uninsured and unpaid work.
• The abolition of the Sunday holiday.
• The handing over of Social Security to business groups.
• The auctions and confiscations of popular households.

These measures will strengthen business groups in conditions of capitalist crisis. These are measures that will remain after the pandemic, so that the workers remain the 'beasts of burden' that will feed the profits of the capital. That is why the government is taking new measures of repression and authoritarianism and prepares a new bill that effectively abolishes trade union rights and freedoms.

PAME calls upon all trade unions to shoulder the burden of responding to government and employers. No one should be left out of this struggle. Taking all protective measures, we must not let the working class be overwhelmed by fear, intimidation, and pessimism. The message of the strike must reach everywhere, every workplace!

We demand:

• Immediate requisition of surgeries, ICU beds, beds, diagnostic centers and laboratories of private hospitals. The same applies to private doctors. The hospitals that have been closed down in recent years must open again.
• Immediate strengthening of the healthcare personnel with mass recruitment of doctors of all specialties and nursing staff. Permanent appointment of all contractor and auxiliary staff in the health sector.
• More frequent routes and recruitment of staff in public transport.
• Extraordinary unemployment benefit to all the unemployed, without terms and conditions.
• For as long as the restrictive measures and the ban last, there should be an exemption from the charges for electricity, communication, water, and natural gas. No shutting off services of any popular household.
• Suspension of workers' payments to the State, banks, public services and utilities, suspension of auctions and confiscations. Debt haircuts and write offs for the working and popular families.”