Greece stopped by 24-hour general strike over cost of living – DW – 11/20/2024
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Greece ground to a halt as a general strike stopped trains, ships and other transport around the country. Unions have called for the government to raise wages and do more to combat high inflation.

Summary

A 24-hour general strike in Greece on Wednesday shut down transport, schools, and government offices as workers protested high living costs.

Unions are demanding a 10% pay raise and the return of holiday bonuses cut during Greece’s financial crisis.

They accuse Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of not doing enough to tackle inflation, despite recent minimum wage increases.

Hospitals operated on emergency staff, while protests and marches were planned.

Many say wages have not kept up with the rising costs of energy, food, and rent.

  • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.worldEnglish
    223·
    13 hours ago

    The first problem is the polarisation. If people that are perceived to be Democrats call out a general strike, 50 percent won’t participate. Vice versa if perceived GOP does this. The polarisation and politicisation of every topic is what stops you from organising effectively.

    • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      1·
      3 hours ago

      Vice versa if perceived GOP does this.

      That logic really falls apparent when you consider that GOP is the one pushing unions out.

      You make it sound like both parties have a strategy to help the workers… no… only one does.

    • Tinidril@midwest.socialEnglish
      6·
      7 hours ago

      It’s not a both-sides thing. The right hates the left for identitarian reasons. We are the “other” and must always be hated. If the left takes a position, the right will oppose it, even if they supported it first. The left hates the right for their ideological reasons that would be largely irrelevant if the right actually called a general strike.

      • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        3 hours ago

        Sorry I did not mean to both-side it. I am well aware that a union push will never come from the GOP. The main point was that because everything has become politicized there are no independent voices that can call for a national strike. If you want to dive deeper into why all is politicised you obviously come back to the conservative sphere (FOX, etc), so this is definitely not a both sides are bad argument.

      • Eatspancakes84@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        3 hours ago

        I can simultaneously lend support and analyze why the probability of success is quite small. Anyway, this is an anonymous forum. Start a petition and I will sign it with my name.

        • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          2 hours ago

          No, I mean real support. Yes, we will need people to analyze and strategize but that comes after we see movement. You can pre-empt some of the stuff and formulate some arguments, but that shouldn’t be your opening line.

          The thing we need now is people to call for one. I’m trying but I get so much push back its been difficult to not get discouraged.

          If you want to show support, the thing that would help the most is another voice that keeps the idea of a strike in the discussion. Which discussion? All of them.

          Good luck.

      • GHiLA@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        82·
        8 hours ago

        be in the system to change the system.

        Tell that to the Democrat Governor in NC who’s surrounded by wolves, gridlocking the whole state to a standstill year to year so nobody gets what they want.

        Our system is part of the problem, if not Subject A.