We start the engines of self-management

greece / turkey / cyprus | workplace struggles | press release

Thursday March 03, 2016 20:27

by Dmitri (trans. and edit.) - MACG (personal capacity)

For the re-opening of the timber factory in Patrida Imathia (northerm Greece)

We demand the government to show us when the assets of a company deteriorate… Why when former employees been paid their arrears the property is changed, and when the bosses sell out machines and made money is not? We understand very well what is happening, how the bosses managed the business. In 20-30 years in that same workplace, we saw so many that no-one can imagine.

We, the former and current employees of the company E.Papadopoulos - N.Pagouras SA, are determined, and our momentum is our right. We do not give up the struggle. We do not give away neither our accrued interests nor our compensations.

We start the engines of self-management

With self-management and struggle for the re-opening of the timber factory in Patrida Imathia (northerm Greece)

We are workers, men and women, of a once large timber company. Most of us work here 20-35 years. We are all those who for the last five and a half years have shown patience, as unpaid workers, supporting amongst all other difficulties the possibility of the company coming back on track, believing the promises and the lies of the company's owners. We are all those who following bosses’ orders used to go an hour earlier and leave an hour after the end of working hours. From night to night. We are all those who with all our soul and courage, pretending to be the "captain" for not sinking the boat, as some of our colleagues used to say.

So every worker in 2010 was having just 150-160 stamps instead of 300 (with 25 days of work a month) and used to be paid in front over a month, 200-400 euros.

On 4/10/2011 the company brought before the regional Court an application for a declaration of bankruptcy, which after repeated postponements of the hearing date in 2/22/2012 and in 11/11/2012, was going to be heard in 3/13/2013. The same day the company acknowledged in writing all the outstanding arrears and advances to the staff up to September 2011.

All these years the tactic the bosses followed was meant to relieve the company by their responsibilities towards their lenders. And although the court decided otherwise, they began selling the machinery, impairing the property of the company, destroying our pride, our lives. First the truck, after the caterpillar, then forklifts, metals, cables, coppers, a jeep and other stuff... And again promises for payments if we stop our struggle and again attacks to us, taking advantage of the time passing and by the claim of bankruptcy not been heard yet. Any worker who dared to ask for his/her money, faced threats by bosses that banging their hands on the desk saying with a macho behaviour: "I have not money, do anything you want and get ...", as if we “ate” the money together. We forced to beg for our accrued interests and lifetime efforts. Insults and scorn were our reward.

The last act of their project is played since September 2015, when someone appeared as an investor to buy the company instead of a lentil dish (for peanuts). And he continues the work of the previous bosses, leaving unpaid bills of social security, GST, taxation, electricity, etc ... some hundred thousand of euros.

So we arrived in January 2016, when we declared work retention and occupied the factory. We declare that our patience was been exhausted and want the immediate return to the factory of all sold machines, equipment, cars, trucks, heavy duty machinery, and the cables by the sale of which bosses made money.

We demand the government to show us when the assets of a company deteriorate… Why when former employees been paid their arrears the property is changed, and when the bosses sell out machines and made money is not? We understand very well what is happening, how the bosses managed the business. In 20-30 years in that same workplace, we saw so many that no-one can imagine.

We, the former and current employees of the company E.Papadopoulos - N.Pagouras SA, are determined, and our momentum is our right. We do not give up the struggle. We do not give away neither our accrued interests nor our compensations.

We are determined to start the factory without bosses, and by self-management to raise ourselves, recovering our dignity.

What our former rulers of E.Papadopoulos-N.Pagouras SA could not do, we can do it. Following the example of VIOME in Greece (Thessaloniki) , we say that without us no cog turns, we workers can do without bosses.

We start the engines!

Robin Wood,
former employees of the company E.Papadopoulos-N.Pagouras.

Patrida, Imathia

February 2016

https://robenworkers.wordpress.com/

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