Α combative and loud response against the attempt of the government, the employers and the EU to smash the life of the working class and the peoples for the shake of the profits of the capital, was given by thousands of workers who took part in the general strike all over Greece in Thursday, December 14, 2017. The strike rallies of the All Workers Militant Front (PAME) sent a message of counter attack, a message of escalation of the struggle for the signing of National General Collective Bargaining Agreement, with no salary under 751€, with bargaining agreements including salary increases, against the auctions of the belongings of the people, against the abolishment of the right to strike, which is promoted by law from the SYRIZA-ANEL government.

In Athens, the strike mobilization ended with a rally to the US embassy, sending a message of solidarity with the Palestinian people and condemning the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The protesters who massively participated in the rallies organized by PAME in all over Greece, showed their determination not to accept a future in poverty, in unemployment, in permanent insecurity. Together with the workers,  also the self-employed and the farmers who participated with their tractors, demonstrated in the strike.

They expressed firmly their determination not to accept the abolition of the 8-hour work, of the stable and permanent work, of unofficial and uninsured work. Also they expressed their refusal to the raise of retirement age to 70 years and receive a pension that would be a mere allowance. They opposed the reduction of social spending and the squandering of the reserves of the social security funds.

They condemned the attempt of the SYRIZA-ANEL government to limit the right to strike, the biggest achievement, which the workers gained with struggles and blood. They condemned the “festive atmosphere” that the government is trying to cultivate with the fairytale of "just growth," which in fact means further attack against the life of the worker and popular families with further abolition of rights and gains. Finally, they condemned the repression and authoritarianism shown by the government in order to enforce the measures of both the third assessment and the previous memoranda.

The GS of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, attended the strike rally of PAME in Athens and made the following statement to the mass media:

“The SYRIZA-ANEL government continues the miserable practice and the “dirty work” at the expense of the Greek people. The sooner deceptions, fake expectations, disappointments will be overcome, the sooner we can pave the way, for the abolishing of all the anti-people measures of memoranda, for the recovering for the workers of the losses from all the years of crisis, for fundamental changes in Greek society and economy. This is, at the moment, in the hands of the working class and the popular strata in our country. We can move immediately forward, change the negative balance of forces, in trade unions and other organizations, by participating in the elections of the trade unions, in the activities of the mass movement, by strengthening the KKE, by regrouping the workers' and trade union movement, and by strengthening the social alliance of all the oppressed and the underprivileged of this country. "

15.12.2017