Vol. 80/No. 8      February 29, 2016

 

Greece: Workers, farmers protest
government attack on pensions

 
ATHENS, Greece — Farmers, unionists, self-employed businesspeople and others have been protesting “pension reform” — higher taxes and increased contributions to social security programs — pushed by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ Coalition of the Radical Left (Syriza) government to satisfy international lenders. More than 40,000 people marched to the parliament here Feb. 4 and thousands of farmers, joined by unionists, did the same Feb. 12 and 13. Farmers have organized blockades in northern Greece and elsewhere.

“How can anyone live on 2,000 euros [$2,250] a year?” asked Kostas, 28, an olive farmer in Crete taking part in the Feb. 12 protest. “Taxes and the cost of production took 8,000 euros from my 10,000 euro income. So to make ends meet I work on three other farms for wages. We’re facing ruin!”

A $97 billion European Union/International Monetary Fund “bailout” loan Athens took in 2015 includes a $2 billion cut in the pension system, the equivalent of 1 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Greek governments have already cut pensions 11 times since 2010.

Three protest marches were part of a 24-hour strike called by three union federations. The GSEE organizes private sector unions, the ADEDY the public sector and PAME represents unions led by the Communist Party.

The strike shut down many schools, public transport, ferry boats, hospital services, taxis and the court system. The Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen & Merchants also participated in the stoppage, closing many shops.

These are the largest protests since the election of Syriza a year ago.

Rallies took place in other cities, often with contingents of farmers.

“I think we should all stand in solidarity with the small farmers movement,” Panagiotis Efthymakis, 32, a petroleum technician at the port, told the Militant.

“The farmers are fighting for all of us right now, and they should be supported,” said teacher Roberto Scilipoti. He voted for Syriza, but “at each critical juncture they have capitulated to the demands of the EU and the lenders.”

Unemployment in Greece stands at 25 percent. Only 3.6 million people are employed out of a population of 11 million. By official figures 1.2 million are unemployed and 2.7 million are retired and collecting a pension. Many jobless workers survive with support from parents or grandparents who are retirees. It has become common to have three generations living together and scraping by on the pension of a retired worker.
 
 
Related articles:
On the Picket Line
 
 
 
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