Trial of Greek Unionists Opens in Athens, Will Continue on Jan. 20!

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(article reprinted, in a slightly abridged form, from the January 11-18, 2012, issue ofInformations Ouvrières [Labor News], the weekly newspaper of the Independent Workers Party (POI) of France)

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 10, the Electrical Workers Union of Greece (GENOP), issued a press release stating that the trial of GENOP President Nikos Photopoulos and his 14 comrades, which opened that very morning and was slated to conclude in one day, will continue on January 20.

The court was scheduled to hear testimonies from witnesses, but only five prosecution witnesses testified.

Among the unionists and activists present in the court to support Photopoulos and his comrades were Christos Polyzogopoulos, past president of the main Greek trade union federation (GSEE), and Manolis Glezos, the famous Greek resistant who took down the Nazi flag from the Parthenon on May 30, 1941.

The same January 10 GENOP press release noted the widespread international solidarity campaign with their union, pointing out, in particular, that high-level delegations of trade unionists had been received during the day at the Greek embassies in Madrid and Paris.

It should also be noted that the British Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Solidarnosc in Poland sent letters to the Greek authorities urging that all the charges against the 15 electrical workers should be dropped.

Photopoulos and his 14 union comrades face up to five years in prison for organizing a sit-in/occupation of the main public power offices in Athens on November 24-28, 2011, to ensure that working-class families continue to have power in their homes after management, following directives from the government and the European Union, cut off their power because of a mass refusal to pay a fee hike, considered an unjust tax, and/or the people's inability to pay their bills due to the crisis.

The GENOP union is led by activists belonging to PASOK (Greek Socialist Party) who oppose the austerity measures enacted by the PASOK government of George Papandreou and who today oppose the National Unity Government (between PASOK and the right-wing parties) headed by Lucas Papademos. The union took a strong stand, in particular, against the privatization of the electrical power company demanded by the Troika (IMF, European Union, and European Central Bank).

A new and significant development in this campaign occurred January 4, when the leadership of the GSEE trade union federation, which regroups all private-sector unions in the country, issued a statement in solidarity with the electrical workers' union and with the 15 unionists standing trial for defending the public utility and the Greek people. The GSEE leadership has been tied to the majority wing of PASOK. Their January 4 statement links the condemnation of the repression against the union with a refusal by the union federation to accept the new austerity measures demanded by the Troika in these first months of 2012.

Regional and local branches of the GSEE, in fact, have warned that if the new attacks by the Papademos government, under orders from the Troika, are not withdrawn, they will go out on strike in the industrial ports of Piraeus, Elefsina and Lavrio on January 17.

In these new conditions of increased international solidarity and heightened working class resistance at home, it is understandable why the Greek government hesitated to sentence the 15 electrical worker unionists and adjourned the trial till January 20.

During these extra 10 days we urge all trade unions the world over to redouble their solidarity efforts and send their messages of support to the GENOP 15.

We can and must compel the Greek government to drop the charges against these courageous unionists.

[See Sample Message below with email addresses where message should be sent.]

* * * * * * * * * *


SAMPLE MESSAGE:

Trade union leader Nikos Photopoulos, president of the GENOP-DEH electrical workers' union, along with 14 of his colleagues, is due to stand trial on January 10, 2012, for occupying a government office to protest the denial of electricity to people unable to pay the new property taxes and utilty rate increases imposed on all Greek homes.

Nikos and his colleagues are not responsible for the crisis that has led to this situation, but like them, he and his colleagues are facing having to pay for it -- in their case, with their freedom.

We call on the Greek authorities to drop the charges against trade unionists who are defending the right of citizens to unimpeded access to a vital public good that is doubly essential in these trying times of utmost hardship.

We urge the Greek authorities to abandon the prosecution of our Greek trade union colleagues.

* * * * *

Please send your statement (feel free to modify sample message above) to the following email addresses:

Greek Prime Minister Lucas Papademos
<internationalmediaoffice@primeminister.gr>

Greek Minister of Labour
Ministry of Labour
<info@ypakp.gr>

Please send copies of your message to

GENOP-DEH Union :
<main@genop.gr>
<press@genop.gr>

and to

<eit.ilc@fr.oleane.com>

and

<ilcinfo@earthlink.net>

 

 

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