Greek Workers-Seizeing the means of production

[RedMarxist]

from Real-Democracy.gr(this is a rough Google translation) Feel free to discuss this very interesting development In Greece:

TEXT ASSEMBLY WORKERS UNEMPLOYED

Thu, 09/06/2011 - 20:59 - NTELALIS Date:
Thu, 09/06/2011


E imaste unemployed, rubber workers, officials, but more risky workers, public and private sectors of Syntagma Square. We are those people who produce the wealth, but without being able to live. As different as you speak, we share a common problem; the farm. We know who the enemy: employers, governments, bankers, the Troika, the IMF and the Memorandum of Understanding with the Media Partners trying to divide us, turning one against the other and hitting us all with a disguise and bogey the so-called "debt crisis" and the economic crisis.


Starting from now posing as landmarks strikes 9 and June 15, we want to make the big step forward to counter them we have declared war, creating and expanding in all neighborhoods and workplaces networks of solidarity and struggle centers workers and unemployed.
We want to stop working for the bosses. We want to work for society to meet our needs, taking our lives in our hands.
This political and economic system that makes the poor poorer and the rich richer, can no longer decide for us without us and must be reversed. We aimed to discuss, and jointly decided to implement their own decisions, we against them so many years living our lives. We urge all workers and unemployed persons, associations and initiatives and unemployed workers to come to the Constitution to all be together, to stand up together to develop a network of solidarity.
We reject any attempt to incriminate us. We refuse to fall into apathy and misery. Breaking the isolation. Looking for a new world in the forms of struggle that we ourselves will come up. We meet in the Constitution and the squares of all the neighborhoods.
We strive in all ways for decent work, insurance, fewer working hours, work for everyone. We urge all workers to pressure the unions for a general strike lasting, get the clubs in their hands away from the sold out leaders of GSEE and ADEDY to prepare for occupations businesses closed for the reappropriation of the means of production, stressing that this view is no longer unrealistic and impossible, but necessary and essential to our dignity, equality and freedom.
We organize activities and fight for:

Reduction of working hours, work for all
Free movement for all
Stop the loan installments and payments of public enterprises for the unemployed
Full medical coverage for all - insurance for all
Unemployment fund equal to the last salary
Thursday, the 9th / 6, sharing the text of the workers on strike to protest. 11.45 Rendezvous at the entrance to metro pl. Korai
Friday, the 10th / 6, exclusion of cancellation machines in metro 5pm (The organizational meeting is 4.30pm at Syntagma Square). Exclusion of cancellation of machines every day and while we are at the Constitution Square (this will be reviewed on a daily basis depending on the massiveness) We do not pay commissions to participate
Actions and local assemblies in Employment Service and Social Security in order to seal books and payment of unemployment benefits. To this end we urge all workers and unemployed, unemployed committees, participate in meetings of the group of unemployed workers, Tuesday, the 14th / 6, 6 pm the Constitution.
EVERY DAY MEETING ON THE CONSTITUTION 6pm
THEMATIC ASSEMBLY WORKERS AND UNEMPLOYED

[Dunk]

Is there anything written about this Real Democracy movement across Europe I can get my hands on?

[Тачанка]

Real Democracy seemed to me like bourgeoise shit though. I'm not really optimistic yet.

[tachosomoza]

I like it. :cool:

[RedMarxist]

From what i can understand, thanks to wikileaks, the military is planning to attempt a military coup if things get bad(like seizing the means of production "bad"). But don't worry. the people's assembly is planning to branch out into local neighborhoods, setting up smaller assemblies, and there is talk of setting up a national people's assembly to replace the government.

How is it bourgeois shit? Is the worker's seizing the means of production bourgeois? they also talk of free healthcare, insurance, among other things. they've set up a communal kitchen and basically everything from food to supplies is free. is that bourgeois? Finally, some radicals within the people's assembly(s) have suggested setting up communes all across Greece(I believe a Marxist was planning to speak to the assembly)

If that is the case, I hope this doesn't turn into a "Athens Commune" complete with a "defense of the barricades" Hopefully the soldiers will disobey orders and join the assemblies. I wonder how NATO, EU, etc. will respond to a "Commune of Greece" getting propped up complete with true socialist democracy. Invasion? Sanctions? Reluctant acceptance of Greek independence? Thoughts?

[xub3rn00dlex]

While this is great news, we must look to aiding the Greeks by applying pressure to other governments NOT to intervene, and to also pressure similar changes. Does anyone have any ideas??

[tachosomoza]

From what i can understand, thanks to wikileaks, the military is planning to attempt a military coup if things get bad(like seizing the means of production "bad"). But don't worry. the people's assembly is planning to branch out into local neighborhoods, setting up smaller assemblies, and there is talk of setting up a national people's assembly to replace the government.

How is it bourgeois shit? Is the worker's seizing the means of production bourgeois? they also talk of free healthcare, insurance, among other things. they've set up a communal kitchen and basically everything from food to supplies is free. is that bourgeois? Finally, some radicals within the people's assembly(s) have suggested setting up communes all across Greece(I believe a Marxist was planning to speak to the assembly)

If that is the case, I hope this doesn't turn into a "Athens Commune" complete with a "defense of the barricades" Hopefully the soldiers will disobey orders and join the assemblies. I wonder how NATO, EU, etc. will respond to a "Commune of Greece" getting propped up complete with true socialist democracy. Invasion? Sanctions? Reluctant acceptance of Greek independence? Thoughts?

Oh, the EU, UN, N.A.T.O, etc. will find some way to fuck with them. Hopefully they'll resist to the last breath.

[Delenda Carthago]

Oh, the EU, UN, N.A.T.O, etc. will find some way to fuck with them. Hopefully they'll resist to the last breath.

I dont know what do you hope, but I hope my last breath will be in a long long time from now. I m not in a rush to die so that you will have something to chat about in internet.

[tachosomoza]

I dont know what do you hope, but I hope my last breath will be in a long long time from now. I m not in a rush to die so that you will have something to chat about in internet.

I'm sorry, bro. I really hope that it doesn't come to a head like that, I just believe that the international puppets of the corporations (NATO) aren't too keen on a leftist uprising in Greece. I hope your last breath will be quite a way off as well.

[red flag over teeside]

Seems to me to be an interesting development and may be the first faltering steps towards workers councils. Why I say this development may be the first step is that the statement makes a reference to trade unions being the organisations to instigate a general strike rather than seeing themselves as being the organisation that leads the struggle for political power. That is not only to take control of the means of production buut more importantly to smash the Greek capitalist state and institute a workers state based on a network of workers councils.

[Delenda Carthago]

I'm sorry, bro. I really hope that it doesn't come to a head like that, I just believe that the international puppets of the corporations (NATO) aren't too keen on a leftist uprising in Greece. I hope your last breath will be quite a way off as well.

Its alright dude, I hear ya. People here, LEFT people that is, have that type of conversations anyway. What if a war pops out, what if a coup is being pulled off, what if the system creates a fascist movement. We have that type of conversations almost every day. So we ll see...

[RedMarxist]

why is it that so many people on revleft are cynical? Why would they NOT organize these takeovers of factories/businesses/etc. through the "reactionary" trade unions? Right now, those are the best way to get workers organized for such a grand endeavor. What's the alternative. An unruly mob of people storming everything with no coordination?!? READ THIS: http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1920/lwc/ch06.htm Although somewhere along the road it seems that councils will/must appear if there is to be democratic control of means of prod. without bosses, I don't think it will be immediate. But I could be wrong-revolutions are always unpredictable.

I read deeper into their real-democracy.gr documents(in poorly google translated english) and basically they say they strive for neither capitalism, socialism, or communism, but true democracy. how can you not have either of those things but still have true democracy(what economic system do they want!!!)

So bascially what I can gather is: they are planning to set up a "neutral" society where the people have the power though these assemblies. A National Assembly will replace the government. Workers will take control of all means of production supposedly on June 15.(or some similar date) during the general strike. I'm assuming that will lead to worker's councils or something like it.

No doubt a successful Greek revolution will spread like a virus across all of Europe(if not already) I doubt it will turn fascist, as from the start they've been against fascism. Socialist maybe. But it is NOT RIGHT WING OR CAPITALIST.

I had a conversation with a friend about this. who said that seizing the means of prod. will lead to violence with police/military. I agreed. Expect this to break the media silence on June 15...as it most surely will. :unsure:

[Dunk]

I've been trying to find more about this. I'm going to bring this up to the next meeting the Socialist Party of NE Ohio, and hoping to encourage a "Real Democracy" movement at the Emergency Labor Network meeting at the end of this month at Kent State! Crossing my fingers and keeping a closer eye on my government should this go somewhere. FUCK YEAH YOU CRAZY GREEK CLASS WARRIORS!

[tachosomoza]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRs9MMfYf44

:thumbup1:

[RedMarxist]

So AttackGr, is this movement a movement to takeover the government, as I heard about plans to setup a national peoples assembly. Are they really gonna seize the means of production(Did you attend any assemblies about that?)? How strong is the movement and is the general strike a ploy to destroy the government?

[RedMarxist]

one word about this people's assembly proceeding: awesome


We have not decided yet after 16 days on our demands. I suggest three: to change the Constitution to take power away to the memorandum, Justice. -The means of production belong to the working class. Self-organization of society into communes, GA. We are outside the imperialist schemes and do not acknowledge any debt. We recognize each party organization to be here and the simple voter PASOK and New Democracy. There is no economic embargo ...
-To implement direct democracy, it must be something going on in the House. I propose a referendum to questions posed by citizens themselves and pass through the GA in all cities. Once this is done we do our own elections that will decide and go to parliament. We thus in 1 week to block the vote.

[Khunying]

Hah, what a joke. I can't wait to see them make Greece even more bankrupt and ghetto than it already is.

[chegitz guevara]

You got links for the wikileaks stuff?

[RedMarxist]

here

http://newsdoom.blogspot.com/2011/06/cia-warns-of-greek-military-coup.html

here

http://www.scoop.it/t/the-intelligence-war/p/165983150/cia-report-military-coup-possible-in-greece

and here

http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-now-thinks-greece-military-coup-possible-2011-6 (http://http//www.businessinsider.com/cia-now-thinks-greece-military-coup-possible-2011-6)


I couldn't find the original wikileaks report for some reason even after repeated Google searches, but I believe that the report is no doubt real. The CIA appears to merely be talking about a Greek-only military coup, so I doubt the CIA will get involved.


"Hah, what a joke. I can't wait to see them make Greece even more bankrupt and ghetto than it already is. "

what a troll. hah, please explain to me how communization and worker's democracy/councils will make Greece even more ghetto then it already is. And to everyone on this thread who said its a fascist uprising-think again. Nationalism for one is perfectly OK as long as its not racist, elitist, etc nationalism. I'm proud to be an American, yet don't condone my government's anti-left actions and I despise fascists. One can be far left and still be proud of where they were born and raised

In my country the mainstream media continues to blatantly ignore the Greek Revolution for some reason. WTF! Oh, well CNN did MENTION People's Assemblies briefly, but that's about it.

The way I see it, the people are mad as hell and aint gonna take it any more! Trade Unions be damned people-its the takeovers of the means of production that count. There is already loud talk in the people's assemblies of preparations to storm the Prime Minister's house and the Athens National Parliament building and do away with the government for good. The General Strike, one of the biggest in Greek history, will no doubt DECIMATE the Greek government. As for the military-expect them to join the revolution soon. Its the military against the nation. They have no chance with their little coup succeeding.

On Wednesday(well Tuesday where I live as Greece is a day ahead of us) the general strike will began on June 15. The People's Assembly decided that occupation of businesses, banks, factories, etc will BE PERMANENT with or without the Union's consent. Like I said, they are mad as hell and won't take it anymore! To hell with the media's surgercoated analysis of the "recovering" economy, we are in deep shit here. It'll take a revolution to save us all, and the Greek people will show Europe and the world the way.