Greece’s largest unions have organized a general strike on Wednesday, demanding action against rising prices and urging the government to restore collective bargaining agreements.
Union leaders criticized the government for failing to address escalating inflation and inadequate housing policies which have eroded workers’ living standards.
The strike is being organized by the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) and the Civil Servants’ Confederation (ADEDY).
Giannis Panagopoulos, president of GSEE, said that unions have no other way to protest against price rises, as the “government turns a deaf ear.” He added that workers’ incomes remain frozen.
“We do not ask for a single penny from the state budget, we ask for our tools, our weapons, to be given back in order to achieve satisfactory raises. The main tool we have is our collective agreements. We want our collective agreements back, we want real raises, and we want them now,” Panagopoulos maintained.
The General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation Esther Lynch, joined the protesters in Athens. “Our message to the Greek government is loud and clear: urgent action is needed to address skyrocketing prices, unaffordable housing, and persistently low wages. The continued erosion of the purchasing power of private sector workers and pensioners is unsustainable and unjust,” she said.
“Policies that allow the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few, strangle the economy and cause unnecessary suffering to workers’ families must change. Workers are fed up,” she added.
Union protests to disrupt public transport
Journalist unions in Greece launched a 24-hour strike Tuesday, joining broader labor unrest. Public and many private media outlets across the country, including print, broadcast, and online platforms, halted operations in solidarity with demands for better wages.
Wednesday’s general strike is expected to paralyze public transport and disrupt other services. All ferries will remain docked following a 24-hour strike declared by the Pan-Hellenic Seamen’s Federation (PNO).
Protests are planned in major cities, with a primary gathering scheduled at Klafthmonos Square in Athens at 11 am.
Other unions will hold rallies at locations such as Syntagma Square and University Propylaea. Demonstrations are also expected in other Greek cities such as Thessaloniki and Patra.
The economy booms, but many are left behind
Although the Greek economy has boomed, outpacing growth in the rest of the Eurozone, workers are left behind.
The government is forecasting 2.2 percent growth for 2024, while the IMF predicts a 2.3 percent growth. This is well above the weak overall 0.8 percent IMF growth forecast for the eurozone, where industrial economies, including Germany and Italy, are struggling.
“This solid performance is expected to continue, despite the challenging external environment, with projections indicating a continued positive trajectory in 2024 and 2025,” according to Greek projections.
“Real GDP is projected to grow by 2.2 percent in 2024 and 2.3 percent in 2025, supported by rising disposable income, increased investment, strengthening foreign demand and the waning impact of monetary policy tightening,” it was said.
The paradox is that as the Greek government boasts about Greece’s economic growth, Greek citizens remain at the “bottom of Europe” in terms of real purchasing power. Despite the ongoing economic recovery, Greeks are becoming poorer, according to the latest OECD data.
While the Greek economy’s upturn has slightly raised living standards, this improvement is minimal, compared to the rest of the EU. It has not lifted Greece from its position as the poorest country in the Eurozone.
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