Strikes and protest rallies were held during the week from 7 to 12 November by employees in the public and private sectors, whose demands included pay and non-pay, claims.
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Strikes and protest rallies were held during the week from 7 to 12 November by employees in the public and private sectors, whose demands included pay and non-pay, claims.
The week’s first strike was a 24-hour stoppage called on 8 November by the Greek Federation of Bank Employee Unions (OTOE) and the Employees’ Union at the Commercial Bank of Greece (Emporiki Bank). The strike was a continuation of last summer’s mobilizations concerning the insurance system in the banking sector, and was sparked by a case heard before the Athens Court of First Instance regarding the complaint filed against bank management by Emporiki Bank’s employees’ union. Management had changed the insurance system for employees in Emporiki Bank on the basis of new Law 3371/2005 ('Capital Market Issues and other provisions'), which introduced important changes to the insurance system of bank employees. At the same time, OTOE was striking in opposition to the intention of management at the National Bank of Greece to announce a new voluntary exit scheme addressed to 1,300 of its employees.
On Thursday 10 November, public sector employees picked up the baton in a 24-hour strike called by the Confederation of Public Servants (ADEDY). The strike involved both pay and non-pay issues, including demands for a new pay scale, extension of regulations on arduous and unhealthy occupations to the public sector, more spending on education and health, protection and reinforcement of the public-sector nature of public services and an improvement in their quality, abolishment of the law on part-time employment and the law on public- and private-sector collaborations, engagement of permanent full-time staff to meet standing needs, a 35-hour working week without loss of pay, better health care for public servants, amendment of the institutional framework for collective bargaining, etc. Air traffic controllers also took part in the 24-hour strike; as a result all flights to and from Athens airport were cancelled.
On the same day a strike was also held by employees in public hospitals (which operated with emergency staff). The stoppage was called by the Federation of Hellenic Hospital Physicians' Unions (OENGE), the Association of Hospital
Doctors of Athens and Piraeus (EINAP) and the Pan Hellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) as part of the ADEDY strike. The main demands of the hospital doctors were: double the amount of public expenditure for health, immediate engagement of new staff, recognition of the unhealthy nature of work in public hospitals, pay increases, etc. Doctors continued their mobilizations with a four-hour work stoppage on Friday 11 November.
Also taking part in the strike action were teachers at all levels, in response to the call for a 48-hour strike on 10.11 and 11.11 by their trade union bodies: the Greek Primary Teachers Federation (DOE), the Federation of Secondary School Teachers of Greece (OLME) and the Pan Hellenic Federation of Teaching and Research Staff Federations (POSDEP). The teachers’ federations were primarily demanding more spending on education and research, and there were also more specific demands regarding each level of education.
The week of strike action ended on Saturday 12 November with a rally held in central Athens by the All Workers Militant Front (PAME), which is affiliated to the Communist Party of Greece. The main slogan was 'rally the people for the workers’ counter-attack'. The meeting was followed by a march to the Parliament, where a resolution containing PAME’s pay and non-pay demands was delivered.
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Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2005), Strikes in the Public and Private Sectors, article.
