Vol. 77/No. 25      July 1, 2013

Thousands in Greece protest closure of state TV, radio

ATHENS, Greece — Government officials announced June 11 that the state-owned TV and radio broadcasting company ERT here would be shut down by the end of the day and more than 2,600 workers laid off. Within hours, more than 6,000 workers assembled outside the company offices to protest the move.

Representatives of various unions addressed the crowd. Brief speeches went on throughout the night interspersed with mini-concerts by well-known musicians.

Among the crowd were metro workers, whose strike was broken by the government earlier this year; teachers; workers from state hospitals slated for closure; and city sanitation workers fighting layoffs.

“ERT is a characteristic case of unique opacity and unbelievable wastage. And that ends today,” government spokesperson Simos Kedikoglou said in a televised address through which the ERT workers found out they no longer had a job. “In its place will be established a modern television and audio broadcaster.” Former employees, he said, could reapply for positions in the much smaller operation.

The closure is part of the Greek rulers’ moves to slash their government expenses in face of mounting sovereign debt that started coming to a head in 2010 as part of a broader financial crisis in Europe.

ERT employees occupied the studios and continued broadcasting on the Internet after transmission towers were shut down.

“I would meet many people who lost their jobs and hear about companies who shut down, but nothing prepared me for this,” said Giorgos Giannatos with 25 years at ERT. “Now I know what I should have done, and how I should have stood by those others.”

Hundreds spent the night on the grounds. Thousands of unionists, other workers and students rallied the next day and the day after, when union federations called a solidarity strike.

“I am here to fight for a better tomorrow,” said Dimitris Vamvakidis, 33, an unemployed TV technician. “Many of my colleagues in the private broadcast sector support the fight by the ERT workers, especially the younger workers. Many of us are unemployed, we know what that means.” Unemployment officially stands at more than 27 percent, among youth it’s 62.5 percent.

“We were here yesterday, we are here today in order to stand by the ERT workers,” said Giorgos Sifonios, union president at the Halivourgia steel mill. “We were out on strike for nine months last year. Our own fight is ongoing to win back the jobs of our fired coworkers.”

“The people who are rallying to the ERT building have themselves been hit hard. We are rediscovering how valuable is the weapon of solidarity, nationally and internationally,” said Tassos, a radio copy editor with 20 years at ERT.

— Natasha Terlexis and Georges Mehrabian

Meat packers fight for union contract in Montreal

MONTREAL — Forty workers, fighting for their first union contract as members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1991P, have been locked out since May 1 by Salaison Lévesque, a meatpacking company here. The workers voted to join the UFCW in late 2012.

Picket line signs highlighted some of the workers’ demands: “Lévesque stop paying us peanuts,” “End harassment on the job,” and “For better job security and respect for seniority.”

“Despite the company’s refusal to negotiate, we’re not going to retreat,” Michel Létourneau said on the picket line May 30.

“We’re demanding the company supply another refrigerator and more microwaves,” Jonathan, a mechanic who gave only his first name, told the Militant on the picket line a week after the lockout. “We also need lockers installed — these are questions of respecting our dignity.”

—Beverly Bernardo

Locked-out chemical workers in Quebec win solidarity

BECANCOUR, Quebec — “We are on the picket line to keep what we’ve gained — the basics,” maintenance welder Robert Beaudoin said during a June 2 barbecue here by workers locked out by Silicium Québec. “They`re not just asking for concessions. They want the shirts off our backs.” The barbecue was attended by about 100 workers, their families and supporters.

Silicium Québec, owned by U.S.-based Globe Specialty Metals Inc., locked out some 145 chemical workers, members of Canadian Communications, Energy and Paper Workers Union Local 184, May 3 just a few days after the labor contract expired. The plant is 90 miles northeast of Montreal.

Local 184 president Jean Simoneau told the Militant the bosses want to impose a 20 percent cut in wages, cuts to retirement benefits and end a yearly bonus. Other concession demands, he said, include contracting out up to 30 jobs and changing the retirement plan from defined benefits to a defined contribution plan. Wages currently average $28 an hour.

“There is good solidarity between the retired workers and the locked-out workers,” said Michel Boucher, president of the local’s retiree committee. “We are all in the same boat.”

Members of United Steelworkers Local 9700 at the ABI aluminum plant here decided to donate $15,000 to the locked-out workers for the duration of the fight. Members of Paper Workers Local 167 at the Olin chemical plant are donating $2,050 per week.

Globe Specialty is among the largest producers of silicon and silicon-based alloys in the world. Some production is continuing, mostly with management personnel, according to Radio-Canada. The Quebec Labour Relations Commission ordered the company May 31 to halt using eight replacement workers in violation of the province’s labor law.

The company did not respond to requests for comment from the Militant.

— John Steele and Annette Kouri