On Friday 6 February, the strike in Piraeus and Elefsina against policies that crush people’s rights and lives —sacrificing them on the altar of capitalist profits and imperialist wars— culminated in mass, militant rallies. The strike coincided with the International Day of Action by dockworkers, held under the slogan “Dockworkers do not work for war."
Strikes, demonstrations, and other actions are being carried out by dockworkers in 20 ports across several countries:
- Italy: Palermo, Salerno, Civitavecchia, Genoa, Livorno, Trieste, Ravenna, Ancona, Bari, Crotone
- Greece: Piraeus, Elefsina
- Spain (Basque Country): Bilbao, Pasaia
- Turkey: Antalya, Mersin
- France: Marseille
- Morocco: Tangier, Casablanca, Safi
This mobilization marks another important step in the promising joint action of workers. Among the key demands highlighted is an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people by Israel, openly supported by its allies —the US, NATO, and the EU— as well as the rejection of the EU’s rearmament plan, “ReArm Europe”.
Dimitris Koutsoumbas, GS of the CC of the KKE, attended the strike rally in Piraeus and made the following statement “Today, here in Piraeus, we are sending a message in every direction: human lives are more important than their profits.
We demand immediate measures to protect health and safety in the workplace; collective labour agreements with wage increases; the removal of fuel tanks from Perama; Greece’s withdrawal from the imperialist war; and an end to the aggressive plans of the ruling class, which is sending our people to their deaths.
At the same time, today we express our internationalist solidarity with dockworkers striking in 20 ports across the Mediterranean —in Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Morocco— under the central slogan ‘We do not work for their war’. Stay strong, and carry on the struggle!”.
