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| Odigitis International Edition (October 2017) Front Page. |
The following article is republished from the International Edition (October 2017) of "Odigitis" monthly, Organ of the CC of the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE).
It is reasonable for a youngster following international developments to wonder about the situation in Greece
and to express interest precisely for the last two years that the government of Greece has been assigned to a
“left” party. That party (SYRIZA) added 2 new memorandums and additional barbaric measures crashing the
rights and conquests of the people. Finally, after so many measures voted, they declare that “we are approaching
growth, from which all of us are going to benefit”. However, is it like this? In this article we are trying to give
answers about the real situation in Greece, about the way out in favor of the people, the one that KKE proposes,
through three questions that often people make.
In Greece, over the past 2-3 years, a new government with left-wing roots has emerged.
Hasn’t it got a difference in the country’s governance ?
Isn’t this an opportunity for faster growth in the country, in a more “fair way”?
It is true that the SYRIZA (new socialdemocracy)
- ANEL (nationalist party) government is
doing everything in order to give its credentials
to the Greek bourgeoisie that it is as capable
as the previous governments, ND (liberal
party) and PASOK (classic socialdemocracy),
to take measures in favor of the capital. The
famous “we are coming out of the memoranda,”
which the government says now, is not
true because, on one hand, the Commission
will continue for several years and, on the
other hand, because all anti-people laws that
have been taken in time of memorandums
will not be abolished, since they are measures
that will urge the bourgeoisie to come out of
the crisis, to bring growth to the country.
But is this growth the same with the one
that Mr Tsipras (Greek prime minister) and
his partners are evangelizing about the working
class and the poor strata? We put the
question of “growth for whom”. On the one
hand, monopoly groups enjoy tax breaks,
subsidies, growth measures, free labour, and
on the other hand the people are faced with
lοw wages and pensions, labour and insurance
rights cuts, unemployment, tax increase.
All of this is evidence that the growth has a
class character. It can be a growth for monopolies
or for the people.
The most recent example of this reality is
the sinking of a tanker in Piraeus, the largest
port in the country, which has led to oil pollution
on the coasts of the Saronic Gulf. This
government, as well as the previous ones, advertised
the port of Piraeus as an “entry gate”
and as a “transit hub”, but the situation in
ship navigation and the recent pollution of
the area highlight government responsibilities,
which with ministerial permits give alibi
to the shipowners to utilize old ships. At the
same time, however, local residents face the
tragic consequences of environmental pollution,
such as the food problem that has been
created.
The KKE also within the Parliament highlighted
the issue of the widespread marine
pollution caused and asked for the blame to
be placed. The party’s organizations in the region
were mobilized from the very beginning
and supported the mobilization of PAME in
Piraeus against the crime committed.
* * *
However, there are sectors where Greece is experiencing significant growth, such as tourism, as
evidenced by the millions of tourists been welcomed each year.
Every year the number of tourists is increasing,
with data showing that the first half of
2017 an increase of 6.6% compared to last
year was recorded, while the tourist season
has already been lengthened. It is a fact that
benefits particularly a part of the big capital,
such as hoteliers, shipowners, because of the
ferry tickets, the chains of restaurants and so
on. However, for the popular family holidays
continue to be a luxury, while a very large
proportion of youth works “seasonally” for up
to 7 months in hotels, restaurants, most of the
time without any day off, staying in the worst
accommodation. Millions of tourists literally
pass over the bodies of workers in the sector.
The growth of the tourism sector in Greece
shows crystal clear that there are “two Greeces”;
Greece of luxury, wealth, unforgettable
holidays in the most popular islands, and
Greece of labor which is either working all
year round and cannot afford the summer
holiday, or working in the worst conditions
in the tourism “industry”, with more and
more flexibility in the last years.
During the summer, KNE held a Pan-Hellenic
Day of Action for Workers in Food,
Tourism and Hotels. With their joint initiative,
36 sectoral and business trade unions
organized mobilizations and interventions,
focusing on issues of collective labour agreements
and protecting the unemployed in
parts of the country.
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| Archive Photo: KKE electoral rally in Athens. |
* * *
Isn’t furthering flexibility of labour relations an opportunity to reduce unemployment?
The government speaks openly about the fact that it managed to reduce unemployment rates.
This is an argument that the SYRIZA - ANEL
government uses to present flexibility and
mobility in workplaces as positive. Of course,
other bourgeois parties are advocates of this
policy, such as ND which, at the time it was in
the government, had introduced forms of such
employment. Flexibility cannot be considered
as a measure of combating unemployment,
because the worker is actually consumable
by the system and most of the time the salary
he gets does not even cover his most basic
needs, food and housing. This is a “recycling”
of unemployment. The reality actually cancels
what the government says, trying to implement
the anti-labour measures it took in view of the
Memoranda, promoting EU guidelines.
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| Archive Photo: KNE Odigitis-Festival. |
In the summer, Rizospastis published a
survey that revealed that businessmen in the
tourism industry can utilize 14 different forms
of “flexible” work to ensure that their profits
are increasing. Capitalists continue to profit
from the tourist “fever” experienced by our
country, but most of the youth working in this
sector are now returning to their homes and
facing the unemployment fund, if and when
allowed, based on the stamps collected. As
for unemployment, it is here and continues
to bust amongst the youth with, according to
the official Eurostat rates, one in two young
people being unemployed (45.5%).
As the flexible forms of employment and
unemployment are “privileges” that are
more enjoyed by youth, KNE this year at the
43rd KNE - Odigitis Festival on September 21-
23, organized an event in the Spot of Young
Workers and Unemployed at the site of the
festival, having as a speaker the president
of the Food and Tourism Trade Union, on
the subject: “From a generation of flexibility,
unemployment, exploitation, to become the
Generation of Overthrow!”
The KKE is the only party that makes legislative
proposals in the Parliament to protect
the unemployed, provide decent allowances,
provide access to health care and always
supports any measure that can even alleviate
the people. However, we always point
out that this system, which not only generates
unemployment but also poverty, wars,
exploitation, needs to be and must be overthrown.