Greece: Robin Wood aren’t alone

greece / turkey / cyprus | workplace struggles | press release Saturday April 09, 2016 22:43 by collectives

Solidarity with the workers of the second recovered factory

We who sign this text as collectives struggling in practice for the self-management, as work collectives, declare that in this way Robin Wood workers are not alone. When you hit one of us, you hit us all. We support with all the strength of our solidarity the struggle of Robin Wood. Self-management for us is not empty words and promises from above, but a road of struggle of those of the bottom for a life with dignity here and now and a vision for an emancipated society. A society and a world of freedom, justice and dignity.

"A whisper runs the planet. A whisper that another working place is possible: work without bosses. So difficult, so simple.”

In the times we live our resistance can not be reduced to a NO and the denouncement of those barbaric policies that destroying our lives. Strait away after this resounding NO we need and we can create those conditions that will allow us not only hope for a better future but to a life with dignity to now.

In creating these conditions, conditions of a life which is not delivered to misery and depression by the unemployment and resignation, have moved during the last three months, the Robin Wood. Workers in a thriving until 2009 timber factory in Imathia (Northern Greece), saw their lives destroyed in the years of crisis. Unpaid for five years started a fight claiming the obvious: work to live. Neither the boss nor the system, nor any government could or wanted to offer this course.

So since January 2016 they moved went to a retention and occupation of the factory with the aim of self-management of production. Inspired by hundreds of examples of self-management in Argentina, dozens of examples in Europe and VIOME in Greece, they dare, claiming in practice the ability to live, to open a road: the road of self-management.

In this way they find against them the repressive forces of state and authority. On 21 March, a phenomenal, for the Prefecture of Imathia police operation in the presence of riot police, prosecutor and bailiff, protecting the interests of a private-supplier authorized the seizure of raw materials from the factory. Raw materials which rightfully belonged to the workers since the former company (in which participated as an investor the particular individual) owed them 700.000 euros.

Judicial decisions defending the interests of an individual against the interests of workers, are another example of the system slippage towards implementing the most extreme neoliberal policies.

We demand from the government -that proclaims to all tones their willingness to support the workers and the "social economy", to prove it in practice and not remain in words.

We who sign this text as collectives struggling in practice for the self-management, as work collectives, declare that in this way Robin Wood workers are not alone. When you hit one of us, you hit us all. We support with all the strength of our solidarity the struggle of Robin Wood. Self-management for us is not empty words and promises from above, but a road of struggle of those of the bottom for a life with dignity here and now and a vision for an emancipated society. A society and a world of freedom, justice and dignity.

SYN.ALLOIS, Yioukali, Ekdoseis Ton Synadelfon,To Pagkaki, Lacandona Perivolaki, Cooperative BOX (Chalikouti)