KONTI, a subsidiary of the multinational producer of steel, ArcelorMittal, has made it clear that the “crisis’ is an important chance for the bosses and that they will use it properly.. With the common excuse of the crisis, they put to the workers a clear and also blackmailing dilemma: Apart from suspending from duty all the personnel for 3 (2+1) months, they went on by threatening them that if they don’t accept the dismissal of 60 workers, the factory will close. The trade union of KONTI workers reacted and stood proud.
They begun mobilizations right away, denying to concede with these blackmails. They informed the city, called to open assemblies (from which was created the Struggle Committee which functions as an assembly including the workers, leftists and some anarchists), there was a safeguarding of a mobilization outside the factory, there also was an informing intervention during the national parade, and finally on 2 November there was a demonstration in the center of Volos city.
About 300 people took part and ahead were the families of some workers with banners. One could sense people being angry, and they walked through the whole city, unlike the usual small walk of the formal syndicalists.
Some of the slogans: “blast the parliament – KONTI will go on working”, “we’ll do it like France, strikes will last for long”, “self-organization of the workers will become the bosses’ grave”, “no more illusions – either with the elections or with the workers.”
An interesting fact is that although the demonstration was long now organized, the communist party organized its own pre-electoral gathering at the same time, at a place nearby. The workers were very negative towards the communist party because of this, during their last assembly.
A second interesting fact is that during the gathering just before the demonstration, the workers didn’t want – and finally didn’t have- any talk on behalf of syndicalist officials or the communist party.
Their next assembly takes place on Thursday, 4 November, at 18:oo.
“I won’t cry, i won’t be afraid, I’ll go to the street and fight” – another slogan from the demonstration…