We strongly condemn the repression against the protest of tourist workers and Pame trade union, which took place all over Greece yesterday, February 22.
Repression that consisted in violent attacks by the police during the demonstration that caused injuries to cadres of Pame and Wftu, one of them had to be hospitalized, and two members of the union were detained by the police.
We firmly believe that workers deserve rights, fair wages and dignity instead of tear gas, truncheons and detainments.
Nowadays, in particular, thousands of workers all over Europe are dealing with the effects of inflation, such as the price growth of almost every essential good, while salaries don’t grow accordingly.
In Italy, many tourism workers are organized with USB: during the last summer, the 6th of august, we held a national rally in Forte dei Marmi, famous location for luxury tourism, where the owners of hotels, beach resorts and restaurants make massive profits on the backs of highly exploited workers.
In that demonstration, and in every struggle in this work sector, we claim very similar issues to those claimed yesterday in Greece: salary increase, implementation of the National Collective Contract (expired last year, not yet renewed) and income support for all seasonal workers for the period after the tourist season.
If governments and employers are deaf when workers demand their rights, so deaf to prefer repression rather than granting good work and life conditions, the duty of class-oriented trade unions is to continue the struggle, and strengthen international connections and solidarity.
Long live internationalism,
long live WFTU,
Solidarity with the workers and Pame!
Unione Sindacale di Base