Image via the KKE
By Global News Service
Strikes swept through Greece the week of October 21 as workers protested austerity measures imposed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s government. Workers demanded wage increases, strengthened collective bargaining agreements, and the reversal of public service reforms, especially in healthcare and education.
Actions across sectors, including hospitality, metalwork, transport, logistics, and education, are building momentum for the November 20 general strike, demonstrating frustration over deteriorating work and living conditions.
Ferry workers called on passengers to stand in solidarity, highlighting that they are currently operating with few teams and in substandard conditions.
Strikes disrupted major hotel services, halted ferry routes, and brought education workers to the streets. In the lead-up to the day of action, the Ministry of Education attempted to block primary education workers from going on strike with a court order. However, this only fueled anger among teachers and pushed workers from other parts of the sector to join. Finally, approximately 3,000 education workers marched through Athens, demanding wage hikes and respect for union activism, and expressing their support for Palestine.
Greek workers have consistently shown solidarity with Palestine, notably blocking arms shipments through ports. In mid-October, dockworkers at Athens’s Piraeus port blocked an ammunition container bound for Israel. Their message was clear: the government should prioritize social services and workers’ rights over war. In line with this, the All-Workers’ Militant Front announced that the theme of November’s general strike would be “Out of the war slaughterhouses; fund wages, health, and education instead.”
from the Peoples Dispatch / Globetrotter News Service
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