Tsipras' deal with shipowners: Another mockery against the Greek people

Greece's shipowners consist a global power. They have one of the largest merchant navies globally and, due to very low labour-cost, they “build” and repair their ships in the shipyards of Asia and Northern Europe. Also, they enjoy numerous privileges by the law in Greece, including dozens cases of tax exemptions. 

At the same time, the Greek governments - both the current one of SYRIZA as well as the previous ones under New Democracy and PASOK- have imposed a situation of tax-robbery against the working class and the popular strata. The working men and women, the pensioners, are called to pay enormous amounts of taxation, despite the huge cuts in salaries and pensions. 

Greek maritime workers defy shipowners-government, continue their 48-hour strike

Defying the threats and warnings from the shipowning companies and the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government, Greece's maritime workers continue for a 2nd day their strike over labor rights and collective agreements.

The 48-hour national strike was organized by Greece’s seamen federation (PNO), which said in a statement that negotiations with the sector’s employers over a new collective agreement that would include wage increases did not bear fruit. In its statement, PNO said that “for eight consecutive years, the seamen have not received not even a one-euro increase” and asked for passengers’ understanding and support.

KKE GS Dimitris Koutsoumbas on Salamina oil spill: Shipowners and the government bear grave responsibility for the environmental disaster

Commenting on the sinking of "Agia Zoni II" tanker, on Saturday, and the subsequent environmental disaster which threatens major beaches in Athens, the Secretary General of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece Dimitris Koutsoumbas said the following:

"The shipwreck in Salamina, with the huge disaster in caused to the enivornment and the people of Attica, mirrors their (the government's) development. From one side, the timeless governmental prattles about Piraeus as "entrance gate" and "international junction" and, on the other side, very old ships, "floatting coffins" for the workers, damaged professionals and absence of elementary state infrastructure for the protection of Public Health and the Environment. The government and the shipowners bear grave responsibiities and this crime must not remain unpunished".

Capitalist Crisis: Austerity and poverty for the people, profits for Greek shipping giants

This is Capitalism- For the vast majority of the Greek people the capitalist economic crisis of the last 7 years means harsh austerity, cutbacks in wages and pensions, mass lay-offs, destruction of the small businesses and new taxes for the low-income families. But for the Greek shipping companies- a dominant power in international maritime industry- the crisis is an opportunity for more profits.

Greek shipping giants are more powerful than ever and the value of the Greek merchant fleet is approximately $90,000,000,000 (90 billion) says the report of German "Die Welt". The Greek shipping industry is by far the most powerful, taking into account that the respective shipping industry of Germany (the 4th largest merchant fleet globally) has a value of $42 billion- less than half of the Greek one.

PM Tsipras praises Greek Shipowners, SYRIZA's love-affair with the big Capital goes on

In Defense of Communism, with info from 902.gr.

The Greek shipping industry is a global power in the maritime sector. In 2015, the Greek Merchant Navy controlled the world's largest merchant fleet in terms of tonnage. Shipowners from Greece epitomize the power of the Greek bourgeoisie- according to a 1975 law, they have at least 70 tax breaks (!), while their fortunes are estimated in billions of dollars. 

The Greek Prime Minister- and SYRIZA's leader- Alexis Tsipras choosed the Maritime exhibition "Posidonia 2016" in order to express his strong will to serve the interests of the shipping industry. Addressing the event in Athens, Tsipras called the ship-owning billionaires to "trust the government" and praised the Greek shipping capital for it's "plan" and "vision". In his effort to convince the shipping giants that his government is an ally of the bourgeois-class, Alexis Tsipras said: "We feel the need to convince the Greek shipowners to trust us as far as we try to reform the Greek economy".