Vol. 76/No. 20      May 21, 2012

ATHENS, Greece—More than 8,000 workers, youth and others rallied on May Day at the gates of the Elliniki Halivourgia steel mill in solidarity with the 400 steelworkers on strike since Oct. 31, 2011. They closed down the national Athens-Corinth highway running in front of the steel factory in Aspropyrgos, on the outskirts of Athens.

Workers at the mill continue their more than six-monthlong strike against company demands to slash the workday to five hours, with a 40 percent cut in wages.

The rally was organized by the labor union federation PAME (All Workers Militant Front). Giorgos Sifonios, president of the striking steelworkers union, was the main speaker at the spirited gathering. “There are struggles that offer much more than immediate gains,” said Sifonios. “They prepare for the next battles of the working class as a whole. They play a central role in its awakening, in dispersing fear, and they become milestones. Such is the struggle waged by the steelworkers.”

Suzepe Larondina, a leader of the USB (Unione Sindacale di Base) at the Turin Fiat factory in Italy, spoke, offering solidarity to the steelworkers.

—BOBBIS MISAILIDES