META, the trade union fraction of Syriza, released the following statement on 12 August, prior to the parliamentary vote on the new agreement (memorandum) negotiated by prime minister Alexis Tsipras and the country’s creditors. The statement was translated by Panos Chronas for Red Flag. Background to the current events can be found at Articles from Athens.
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Race to victory against old and new memoranda
Memorandum three, which was signed by the government with the help of the “quartet” of usurers/creditors, and the accompanying laws, are a continuation of the brutal neoliberal policies of austerity.
The workers fought and voted against the implementation of these policies.
The new agreement will lead to recession and a new surge in unemployment, a complete destruction of labour and social security rights, a dramatic decrease in people’s incomes and an increase in poverty within Greek society, and will pave the way for the seizure of houses while promoting the sale of public property and the wealth of the country.
The only ones that gain something from the third memorandum are bankers, capital and large financial institutions, both local and foreign.
We demand that the government not vote for or implement the new memorandum, which will pawn the future of this country and the rights of workers, along with the rest of the Greek people, for decades to come.
We warn the government that workers will stand up and fight, as they have been doing in previous years. They will not allow the implementation of the new austerity measures and policies.
We call on trade unions to organise the resistance of the workers, along with the rest of the people, against the new memorandum and its accompanying laws.
META invites all members and friends to come to the forefront of the fight and not allow the new policies to be passed, to cancel memorandum three and its anti-worker, anti-popular measures in practice.
We ask that people in every workplace start informing the workers of the consequences of this new deal and organise the resistance and the fight of workers against these new austerity policies.
META backs the next mobilisation against the new memorandum. It is organised by ADEDY (the Civil Servants’ Confederation) and the unions, on 13 August, at 8pm in Syntagma Square.
No retreat – No compromise – Race to victory
