Migrant workers of strawberry landowners in Greece protest

April 18th 2013

WFTU denounces the odious act against protesting migrant workers of the strawberry landowners in Manolada, Greece

The World Federation of Trade Unions representing 86 million workers from 120 countries of the five continents strongly denounces the odious act of the strawberry-landowners in Manolada, Greece to open fire against the 200 migrant workers who were protesting for their payment.

On April 17th, 200 migrant workers demanded their payment delayed for more than 6 months for their work in the strawberry fields. Their demonstration was brutally attacked with more than 20 migrant workers injured by the shots of the landowners.

Violence and super-exploitation against the migrant workers is not a new phenomenon in Manolada. The modern slavery, the inhumane working and living conditions, the racism against the migrant workers is facilitated by the policy of the Greek governments of conservative, social-democrats and leftwing parties as well as by the local authorities. Agreeing with and following the policies of the European Union, the Greek governments have built concentration camps for immigrants, they are preventing them from travelling to their destination countries by not providing them with travelling documents, they allow an environment of fear and oppression to exist, which helps employers to exploit workers without even paying them their salaries.

As WFTU we congratulate our Greek affiliate PAME which makes consistent and continuous efforts under very difficult conditions to organize the migrant workers in the trade unions, to break down their fear, to unite their struggles with the struggles of the native workers and to demand equal rights for all workers. We express our solidarity to the struggles of the Greek class-oriented trade unions and the migrant workers in particular against this brutality and oppression.

We demand from the Greek government to protect the workers, to make sure that they are paid according to their collective agreements and that the landlords who opened fire are punished accordingly.

Labour migration is a phenomenon caused by the imperialist wars, the activity of the multinationals and the undevelopment of various countries, migrant workers forced to live their homes and families, they work in the worst conditions out of fear and hopelessness downgrading the salaries and labour rights for all workers.

It is our internationalist duty to coordinate our efforts between the trade unions in the countries of origin and the receiving countries to make sure that the migrant workers find a home at the class-oriented trade union organizations. For this, on May 13-14, the WFTU is organizing in the European Parliament an International Trade Union Conference on the subject: “Economic Immigrants: We demand full social security, labour rights and dignified salaries”.

ENDS

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