Workers and their unions across Greece are on general strike today to call for measures to address the cost-of-living.
The ETUC has echoed their demands towards the EU institutions and called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to use all available tools to see that collective bargaining agreements at all levels are reinstated.
“Austerity may be officially over, but its structural legacies remain deeply entrenched in labour market governance,” reads a letter by GSEE President Yannis Panagopoulos and General Secretary Nikos Fotopoulos.
As part of its austerity measures, the Troika, of which the European Commission was a key part, pushed Greece to suspend collective labour agreements and no longer set minimum wages through collective bargaining. This has driven a downward spiral on workers’ pay in Greece, which continues to this day and has had a very negative impact on the country’s economy.
According to the Labour Institute of GSEE:
- Working people are buying 10% fewer products than last year;
- 60% of workers cannot meet monthly living expenses;
- 90% are cutting back on basic food items;
- Over 50% of tenants spend more than 40% of household income on rent and heating.
Rallies are being held in cities across the country. It is crucial that the EU listens to their call and uses the tools within its reach to correct the damage inflicted on working people. The top demands for social and economic justice of the thousands of workers on general strike relate to reinforcing collective bargaining agreements.
Esther Lynch, ETUC General Secretary, said:
“The decisions taken by the European Commission 15 years ago are still having a problematic impact on working people today. Since then, the EU has changed its approach and is now calling on countries to reach 80% collective bargaining.
“The Commission must show the working people of Greece that it is serious about its commitments to them. It cannot stringently enforce austerity measures while offering only empty words on social support and pro-labour policies.
“Prices in Greece also driven by unchecked corporate greed and cartel formations, exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis. The urgency is real: without prompt intervention, export tariffs will further push up prices, leaving workers without the means to keep their wages in step with rising costs."
