With the central slogan “Our Power is in Organization, Hope lies in our Struggles, Our weapon is Solidarity” took place the PAME National Congress Meeting on June 18-19 in Piraeus, at the Stadium of the refugee neighborhood of Drapetsona.
Participation in the Congress broke record with more than 2000 delegates from 506 trade unions of private and public sector from all over Greece in addition to 60 Pensioners Unions. In 2016 the total number of workers and pensioners Unions was 450. In the Congress participated 20 Regional Trade Union Centers (14 in 2016) and 15 National Workers’ Federations (13 in 2016).
PAME with great honor welcomed a delegation from the WFTU headed by its General Secretary Pambis Kyritsis and Swadesh Dev Roye (Deputy G.S) from CITU of India. Also 31 trade unionists from 19 countries of Europe and Palestine.
The main issue of the Congress was to discuss the reconstruction, the orientation and the perspective of the workers movement. How will the organization of the workers in the Trade Unions be strengthened. How will the revival and the counterattack of the Trade Unions be carried out, with new forces, with greater momentum and determination in order to defend the rights and to expand the conquests of the workers. What movement is needed today to deal with the onslaught of government and business groups, the new sufferings of the peoples from the imperialist war, the intensity of exploitation and the rise of poverty, the intensification of the attack on workers’ rights, of state repression and of employers’ intimidations.
“Now is the time for the workers to go on the counterattack”, noted PAME and called for a movement of overthrow and counterattack, for work and life with rights. To intensify the struggle in the workplace, in the industries, to intensify the counterattack of the workers’-trade union movement.
The Congress concluded with the election of the new Executive Secretariat of PAME
Photos
Day 1 https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzULEA
Day 2 https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzV1FG
Visit to WFTU Moment https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzUMYm
Source: PAME