April 2011 - Centre for Civil Society - University of KwaZulu-Natal

non-payment campaign, calling for the movement to link up with organised
workers in the public transport industry. About 70,000 leaflets have been
produced by Xekinima on this issue, getting a good response from trade
union activists and non-payment campaigners. Xekinima supporters are
regularly interviewed on the media on the issue. The campaigning
organisation, Green Attack, which was initiated by Xekinima supporters,
also gets a lot of media attention. It links the fight for affordable, quality
and integrated public transport with environmental issues.
Mass hunger strike
The Pasok government is also under pressure over a mass hunger strike by
three hundred immigrant workers, who summarily were deprived by the
authorities of their right to work and live in Greece (for more information,
see previous articles on socialistworld.net). Pasok ministers try to play
‘good cop’ and ‘bad cop’ in relation to the hunger strike. One minister said
("off the record") that she and the PM, George Papandreou, wanted to
“find a solution” to the crisis, while the hard-line interior minister
attacked the immigrants and their solidarity campaign and said there
would be “no negotiations”.
The hunger strike has now passed thirty days and is beginning to reach a
critical stage that could endanger the lives of many of the protesters.
Supporters of Xekinima have been involved in the solidarity campaign since
the immigrants took the desperate decision themselves to go on hunger
strike, including helping to successfully internationalise the issue by
organising appeals to workers’ organisations across the world.
An explosive situation
The mass hunger strike and the mass non-payment campaign, like the
latest general strike, are all indicators of the deep sense of anger and
alienation felt by millions of workers and youth in Greece facing austerity
attacks and falling living standards. They see no way out on the basis of
this system. The economic, social and political situation is becoming
explosive.
Xekinima calls for a stepping up of mass action by the working class to
resist Pasok’s austerity packages. The union leaders’ one day strikes every
few months are not forcing back the savage attacks. They are only
intended to let off steam and to “scare” the government to make a few
concessions, which are not forthcoming.
A plan of decisive strike action is needed, included a 48 hour and longer
general strikes, organised by mass committees of action from below, in
workplaces, colleges and neighbourhoods. This can unite all sections of
workers and young people, and the middle layers, like the small shop
keepers, forcing the Pasok government to either retreat or fall.
www.socialistworld.net
The world remade
Richard Pithouse First Published in Pambazuka 28 February 2011
In the wake of the crises and revolutions of Libya, Tunisia and Egypt,
European claims to moral leadership look highly dubious, says Richard
Pithouse.
As the first unconfirmed reports of airborne attacks on protestors in Tripoli