For two weeks now the strikers have not worked and Athens is full of rubbish from the strike of POE-OTA. The govt aims to privatise and break the union using private contractors with lorries and illegal immigrants. They have been on rolling 48 hour strikes having been on three so far. The economic measures encompass two elements, the mass sacking of part-timers and the depression of wages during an overhaul of the wage structure downwards.
But the workers have blocked the entrances to the rubbish dump sites with round the clock blockades. The issue now will become one whether the govt calls a lockout and gets a measure in the courts declaring the strike illegal due to 'health and safety' reason. Sgouros the PASOK 'gaulieter' of Attiki region which encompasses Athens is threatening all and even went so far to state if the govt cant clear the streets of rubbish for its five million citizens, we have to go to elections as the Athens Mayor is called Kaminis and belongs to the 'opposition' party.
The introduction of the Kallikratis plan and the merger of councils imply that half the labour force is to be fired by placing them on enforced redundancy with lower wages until they are fired. If they dont win this strike, another section of Greek workers will have been crushed. 1,600 workers are to be fired so this is a battle that cant be lost. From early on today, there have been attacks on the private lorries and they govt announced that within 48 hours the streets of Athens will be cleared. On Wed-Thu there is a 48 hour strike and if the labour movement doesn't support the council workers in this life and death battle, they will be on the chopping block.
At a council meeting in a part of Greece over the issue strikers attempted to put and did a black hood over a council leader which is what Greeks who worked for the German occupation did. This enraged the corporate media.
Riot police have been stationed at the entrance of various rubbish dumbs one in particular in Filis, on the outskirts of Athens, but so far they haven't attacked the strikers. The task now is to create workers defence guards and call the rest of the labour movement to come out to their defence....
Sunday 16th October
Early morning the govt used riot police to break the blockade at the Filis dump site. At the same time there are guerilla tactics by dustmen who are confronting the scab lorries which are doing the work of the dustmen. The journalists are stating that it will take 10 days to clear the backlog unlike what they were saying before the weekend that the rubbish would be cleared by the end of the weekend. This will be a big battle as certain dustmen have announced that Athens will burn if they break the strike using police and scab lorried. Already one company has withdrawn from collecting rubbish. Next week will be a hot week with a 48 hour general strike....
Monday 17th October
Private scab breaking truch burnt down when collecting rubbish fromthe streets
http://www.zougla.gr/page.ashx?pid=2&aid=400353&cid=4
Illegal immigrants breaking the strike...
http://patari.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=27436