Leaders and representatives from the Greek Community and some of the largest trade unions in Australia have sponsored a joint statement in support of the rights of Greek workers and the Greek people more broadly condemning the austerity measures that are being inflicted on the poor, the elderly and the most vulnerable in the Greek community.
One of the organisers of the statement, Arthur Rorris, Secretary of the South Coast Labour Council in NSW said that Greek Australians have a special responsibility to support and demonstrate their solidarity with the Greek people at a time when such a grave injustice is being inflicted on the workers and in particular on those least able to defend themselves and their rights.
“We have to expose the myth that the Greek financial crisis was caused by the people of Greece living lives of luxury and extravagance when we know the truth to be very different, when we know that those responsible are not the ones who will carry the burden of austerity for decades to come,” he said adding that “it is an insult to a people who have borne the brunt of war, occupation, famine and depression for the best part of the 20th Century in Europe to be told that they have had it too easy.”
Mr Rorris said that describing the current situation in Greece as “just a Greek tragedy” are false and misleading. “If the world’s biggest banks succeed in imposing these measures of austerity and misery on the Greek people they will soon apply the same recipe to others such as Portugal, Spain and Italy. No country is safe from the greed and ruthlessness of the big banks and international financial institutions,” he said
He called the wider Greek Australian community to support the statement. At midday, Friday 23 March a deputation will simultaneously present this statement to officials at the Greek Consulates in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.
“We welcome all who support these sentiments and who are able to be present, to join us and show your support for this initiative,” Mr Rorris said.
STATEMENT ON THE GREEK CRISIS
“The continuing economic crisis in Greece is not an isolated phenomenon peculiar to one country. It is symptomatic of a broader systemic economic failure in the global economy and in particular, the European Union.
The people of Greece today, deserve no less assistance than the global banks and financial investment houses received during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008. During the GFC, workers’ savings and collective assets were used to guarantee the survival of some of the world’s biggest banks. These institutions were bailed out of a crisis that they themselves created. Today ordinary Greek workers and their families are being told they must pay again. They will have their incomes, working conditions, pensions, and their social services destroyed and their nation’s productive capacity severely constrained so that their economy can be ‘saved’.
The broad, popular movement in Greece against the proposed austerity measures deserves the support of the international community and solidarity of the labour movement and the Australian community more broadly.
Accordingly, we call upon the Greek Government, European Union and the global financial institutions to:
(i) Abandon the fiscal austerity program that is strangling the Greek economy and its people, and;
(ii) Adopt an expansionary investment program to break the vicious downward spiral and provide jobs and hope to an increasingly desperate people.
We further call on the Australian Government to support this position and to communicate it to the Greek Government and the European Union.”
