TRADE UNION STRIFE IN GREECE

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5280, 17 December 1946, Page 2

TRADE UNION STRIFE IN GREECE

PARALYSIS ENSUES BOTH SIDES REJECT ADVICB OF BRITISH COUNSELLOR LONON,. Dec. 12 According to press reports from Paris, the World Federation of Trade Unions meeting has ifis'tructed its secretariat to enter into negotiations with the Greek Government to 'try -to .secure a solution of ihe Greek trade, union imbroglio. This decision was taken after the Greek left-wing trade union leaders, Messrs. Paparigas- and Stratos, had ibeen heard. Ever since the liheration in 1944, ' the trade union _ situation in Greece has ibeen unsettled, fluctuating in ebh and flow under altemating impulses from the extreme left and extreme right. During recent months it has : deteriorated to a point of virtual paralysis in administration. The effeet of dissensians within the trade xmion movement, and. the lack of generally recognised executive bodies in control of the general Confederation of Labour and its eomponent unions, is to distoact workei's from applying full energies 'to the tasks of .reconstruction,- of which" Gx*eek eeonomy is in aeute need. The urgency of the settlement of ■differences between the left and right wings among the Greek trade unionists is recognised by all friends of Greece. The British Government, c.onsulted hy the Greek Government, has done its utmost within its power to contribute iby its advice to such a settlement. Three Main Groups There are at present three main groups in the Greek trade union movement. Firstly, the Right Wing or Nationalist Reformist group led hy M. Makris; secondly, the -centre group of Socialists, led by Messrs. Kalmoiris and Stratos; thirdly, the Left wing group, ERGAS, a Com-munist-dominated comhination oi EAM and the Communists, led by M. Theos. There are in Greece over 2,000 trade unions, in which not much mort than 2,000,000 workers are enrollsd In a few cases, unions covering the same trade or industry are groupec in National Federations. In the towm all unions belong to a workers' centre, which co-ordinates t-heir activities. Above these groups sta-nds thc General Confederation of Laboiii (GCL), which is the supreme goveiniing body. Its executive is elected ai a periodical National Congress. After the liheratio-n, G.C.L. was taken over hy an E.A.M. shadow confederation, which was headed by Theos, Kalomoiris and. Stratos, anc was given iegal status after the revolution of Novemher and December 1944. Twenty-one Right wing- leaders were nominated iby the new Ministei of Lahour as a 'Confederation of thc Provisional Executive. _ Agreement Breaks Down In.January, 1945, Sir Walter Citrine led a T.U.C. delegation to Greece After investigation on the spot, -Sir Walter pjroposed that elections fo the new- G.C.L. and other Union ex ecutives should be held under the sup ervision of a committee representinj new and pre-revolution G.C.L. ex evutives and the T.U.C. This "Citrim Agheemlent" was ■ formally acteeptet by the new Right wing executive, anc in -principle by the former executive By agreement between parties, datec June 26, ibefore the elections couk be held a new provisional G.C.L. ex ecutive was fprmed, on which 11 ou of 21 seats were awarded to the Rig'h wing Makris igroup, the remainde: going ix> 'E.R.G.A.S. and the Social ists. This agreement broke down hy Septemher, 1945, and the elections stil seemed some way off. Accordingly thc Minister of Labour promulgated hi:. noW f amous decision, idesignating Theos, Kalmoiris", 'Stratos and Makri. as secretaries of yet another G.S.L provincial executive, to which anothej 11 members were to be elected. Pro visional exeeutives of workers' centrer an'd unions were appointed on a similai basig of representation, and elections were to be prepared for March, 1946. March Congress. Pollowing this, E.R.G.A.S. scored f strikiirg success in the elections o delegates to the March congress, anc it was apparent hy February tha E.R.G.A.S. would' effectively contro congress. Thereupon, M. Makris lodgec an appeal on constitutional grounds against the validity. of the decision, and broke away from the official trade union movement. Neveivtheless, the March congress , met and elected a G.C.L. executive composed of seven members, namely four' Communists, one E.A.M. representative, and Malomoiris and Stratos The proceedings were certified as lawful hy an international delegation representing the British T.U.C., the French CjG.T. and Russian trade Unions, and the confederation was admitted to membership ■ of the World Federation of Trade Unions. 0ft June 26, 1946, the Council oi State, the supreme Greek 'judicial authority, giving j-udgment on the Makris appeal of February, ruled the decision invalid. As a consequence, all trade union and workers' centre elections and decisions were invalidated, and ifoe G.C.L. seven exeeutives ordered to hand over to the Ministry of Cabour within 48 hours. On July 30, -the Ministry of Labour took over the G.C.L. The Communist Secretary-General, • M. Paparighai, Mm. Theos and S.tratos, were an-ested on teehnical charges and sentenced to four months' imprisoment, but were immediately released on ibail. M. Leon Jouhaux, of the W.F.T.U7, appeared as witness for the defence. British Compromise Rejected. In August, the Minister of Labour appointed a G.C.L. provisional executive of 21 members, composed of 16 Right wing and five Left wing representatives. The latter refused to take their seats. Overwhelmingly Right wing exeeutives were also appointed for the unions and workers' centres.