Athens: Intervention in solidarity with migrant worker who was beaten by his boss

‘With class solidarity and organization, we make war on the bosses and the fascists —Base union of waiters, cooks, and other workers in the food services sector’

A migrant was working for 5 months, for more than 12 hours a day, 30 days a month, at the ‘SCHERZO’ bar restaurant, located on 8, Vorea Street in Maroussi (northern suburb of Athens). His day’s wage was only 10 euros. In addition to washing dishes and doing general cleaning, he was also sent out on various errands for the sake of the business but also for personal affairs of his employer. As if that were not enough, the boss Dimitris Tyrologos owed him money. One day, as the dishwasher/utility worker was waiting to get some of his unpaid wages, the boss brutally beat him and even stole his backpack, with personal documents and money inside. The migrant worker had to be admitted to hospital, where he remained for three days. Despite a daily exploitation and intimidation at work, he promptly denounced his boss to the Labour Inspectorate after the beating, claiming his dignity as a worker, and contacted social spaces and his base union for immediate solidarity.

On Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 a first intervention was carried out by collectives and base trade unions outside the ‘SCHERZO’ bar restaurant in Maroussi. The protest was organized by the Athens base union of waiters, cooks, and other workers in the food services sector, in solidarity with their fellow worker, member of the same base union, who was employed by this business, and recently beaten up by the boss for asking to be paid overdue wages… For almost two hours, more than 200 people shouted slogans, distributed texts and pamphlets and informed passersby and nearby stores about the incident. Shortly after the gathering, protesters held a demonstration in the neighbourhood.

Any boss’ hand raised against workers should be cut off.