Interview with
Comrade George Pontikos, Head of the International Department of the Greek
All-Workers Militant Front (PAME)
- What is the All-Workers Militant Front’s plan for the coming years?
Under the All-Workers Militant
Front’s (PAME) vision, our struggle aims to come out of this crisis in such a
way that it can advance the peoples’ rights and the workers’ rights in
combating the capitalist policies. Our objective is two-fold: 1. PAME’s first
objective is the reconstruction of the trade union movement in class and
militant direction. 2. Our second objective is to develop social alliances with
the workers, self-employers, poor farmers, women, youth, immigrants and
unemployed workers to create popular committees in every neighborhoods, for
combating austerity programs.
- Please describe a brief history of the All-Workers Militant Front.
The All-Workers Militant Front
(PAME) was founded in 1999; and in 2000 became a member of the World Federation
of Trade Unions (WFTU). During this period of 15 years, we have organized many
actions, mobilizations, strikes; and through all these years, the basic
principle of PAME has been the international proletariat solidarity. For
example, solidarity with the Palestinian people, Cuban revolution, etc……; we
also participate in the movement against monopolies and imperialism.
- What are the All-Workers Militant Front and its position within the Greek labor-union movement?
PAME represents 30 percent of the
organized Greek labor union movement in the public and private sectors.
Affiliated with PAME are federations, labor centers and workers’ syndicates.
- European Union’s economic austerity programs and Greek labor-unions’ struggle, especially the All-Workers Militant Front’s struggle with these programs have had extensive coverage in the world. Please describe this struggle, its forms and contents.
In the last four years and while
the European Union has been imposing the austerity programs on Greece, PAME has
organized 40 general strikes and hundreds of local and sectoral protests. PAME
receives attacks from the government, the media and the governmental and
employers’ trade-unions.
- What are your experiences from these struggles?
PAME stands in the first line of
every struggle. The struggles of the working class of Greece have not
stopped; and building on the experiences of the recent years, they have gone
into a new phase. We continue the struggle against the economic austerity
programs.
- What kind of role the labor-unions’ cooperation and unified-action, and in general the labor-union movement’s struggle has played against the economic austerity programs?
In the history of the labor
movement, we find two lines: submission or struggle. In Greece the governmental and
employers’ trade unions support the class-collaboration; PAME is against this
line and supports the class-oriented trade union movement. We believe that
within the ranks of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), we can reverse
the situation in Europe ; and the class labor
movement has a main role in creation of a society without exploitation of man
by man.
- International
workers solidarity is very essential in labor-unions’ struggles. Like you,
the Iranian independent labor syndicates are involved in a vital struggle
against the programs dictated by the International Monetary Fund and the
World Bank. Do you have a message to your worker brothers and sisters in
Our struggle is common; we stand
by your side for a world without exploitation of man by man. Long live
international workers solidarity.
