Solidarity with Greek public service workers

The health sector is under particular pressure following a 25% budget cut in the last two years while some 25,000 public service workers are being put into a relocation pool on reduced pay while waiting to find out if they will be relocated or finally dismissed. A further 4,000 are set to lose their jobs by the end of the year.

On the second day of the strike, municipal police officers gathered for a pan-Hellenic rally and marched to the Ministry of Administrative Reform and an evening concert is planned at the central building of the Greek national broadcaster ERT.

The government policies “degrade the public sector, destroy what is left of social services and welfare and attack the civil servants who have endured inhumane austerity policies for the past four years,” ADEDY stated.

“The Government’s and the Troika’s plan wishes to limit and reduce the services, employees by one third.  It wishes to increase the cost for citizens to ensure services that until yesterday were provided by the public!” ADEDY mentioned in its announcement.

The executive committee of ADEDY will convene with the presidents of its members to evaluate the situation and determine the future of their strike. The general council will then make its final decisions on September 21, according to the Greek newspaper To Vima.

Read more: 

• ADEDY website (Greek)
• Ekatherimini news website (English);
• Greek Reporter news website (English)

PSI urges the Greek government to engage in social dialogue and collective bargaining as one of the instruments of getting out of this crisis and to rebuild democratic structures.