The Greek State attempts to break (also) the strike of the municipal workers

Workers in municipalities (POE-OTA) are protesting against the wage cuts and arrangements for the suspension of staff (bound to lead to mass layoff). They have now called for 48hour repeated strikes from Saturday 15/10 until Thursday 20/10 (at least).

On October 14th in Athens, attorney general Eleni Raikou issued a decision against the strike of municipal workers and ordered for the landfill of Fyli, in Attica, to open. Eleni Raikou in collaboration with the ministers of Interior Affairs Kastanidis and Health Loverdos suggested that the strike puts public health into risk since the workers refuse to collect rubbish while they have occupied Fyli’s landfill and garages of the various municipalities where the vehicles for the collection of rubbish are parked.

Furthermore, the attorney ordered the landfill to be opened by the police and decided to search for the people ‘guilty’ of putting public health into risk. But even the Federation of Associations of Hospital Doctors released the following announcement: ‘Mr. Loverdos [minister for Health and Social Solidarity!] recalls the public health only when it comes to immigrants and workers. In all other cases, he doesn’t care one bit whether foreign department store chains trade contaminating products, whether entire families are unemployed and they only think of painless suicide. We will not allow the government to destroy thousands of municipal workers into the gas chambers of unemployment. We will support the workers strongly and consistently.’

The same evening buses of riot police were seen near the landfill while workers from the occupied municipalities and solidaritarians set fire to barricades at the main gate of the landfill. More people went on the spot during the night to support the strikers, and managed to ward off the police threat. The government already contracted private companies to collect the rubbish, starting from downtown Athens, and implied that municipal workers who are on strike will be fired.

STATE TERRORISM WILL NOT PASS!

sources: occupiedlondon, athens.indymedia

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