The Administrative Court of First Instance of Athens, Greece ruled on Friday night that the strike by Public Power Corporation (PPC) workers is illegal and abusive.
Greek government ordered electricity workers back to their jobs on Saturday, by issuing a “civil mobilization decree” usually reserved for national emergencies, threatening them with arrest if they continue with strikes that have caused power cuts across the country in the middle of its tourist season.
The government has ordered the National Printing House to remain open during the weekend in order to print all orders forcing the members of GENOP-DEH union to return to their posts, which they abandoned at midnight on Wednesday when they began the strike, in protest to the government’s bill for the selling of the so-called “Small PPC”.
PPC’s biggest trade unions will hold a meeting later on Saturday to decide on further actions. Communist party affiliated PAME said it planned a rally in Athens later on Saturday in solidarity with the workers.
The Hellenic power distribution network, DEDIE, said there is no problem in providing energy to the public, since the cooler weather and the winds prevailing in most parts of Greece do not affect power supply, even though 14 units remain out of service.
The legislation paving the way for the privatization of the so-called “Small PPC” passed through a parliamentary committee on Friday. MPs from PASOK and New Democracy approved the legislation but all the opposition parties voted against it.
This may have given hope to SYRIZA and its bid to form an alliance pushing for a referendum on whether to sell part of PPC. To trigger a parliamentary debate and vote on the idea of a plebiscite, SYRIZA needs to have the backing of 120 MPs. Given that it has only 71 lawmakers, the support of other opposition parties and independent MPs is needed for getting its initiative off the ground.
So far, Independent Greeks and five independent lawmakers have said they will support the proposal for a referendum. Democratic Left is also likely to support the move. However, the Communist Party has rejected the option, saying it would only vote for a referendum that allowed voters to oppose all forms of liberalization in the energy sector.
SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras is expected to make a fresh effort reaching out to other opposition parties next week. The coalition, however, continued to dismiss his chances of being able to create a united front.
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