[olympiaworkers] Greek hospital now under workers' control

Feb 5 2012 Libcom.org

Health workers in Kilkis, Greece, have occupied their local hospital and
have issued a statement saying it is now fully under workers control.

The general hospital of Kilkis in Greece is now under workers control. The
workers at the hospital have declared that the long-lasting problems of
the National Health System (ESY) cannot be resolved.

The workers have responded to the regime's acceleration of fascism by
occupying the hospital and outing it under direct and complete control by
the workers. All decisions will be made by a 'workers general assembly'.

The hospital has stated that. "The government is not acquitted of its
financial responsibilities, and if their demands are not met, they will
turn to the local and wider community for support in every possible way to
save the hospital defend free public healthcare, to overthrow the
government and every neo-liberal policy."

From the 6th February, hospital workers will only deal with emergencies
until their wages, and monies owed have been paid. They are also demanding
a return to wage levels prior to the implementation of austerity measures.

The next general assembly will take place on the 13th, and a related press
conference will be given on the 15th.

The following statement has been issued by the workers:

1. We recognize that the current and enduring problems of Ε.Σ.Υ (the
national health system) and related organizations cannot be solved with
specific and isolated demands or demands serving our special interests,
since these problems are a product of a more general anti-popular
governmental policy and of the bold global neoliberalism.

2. We recognize, as well, that by insisting in the promotion of that kind
of demands we essentially participate in the game of the ruthless
authority. That authority which, in order to face its enemy - i.e. the
people- weakened and fragmented, wishes to prevent the creation of a
universal labour and popular front on a national and global level with
common interests and demands against the social impoverishment that the
authority's policies bring.

3. For this reason, we place our special interests inside a general
framework of political and economic demands that are posed by a huge
portion of the Greek people that today is under the most brutal capitalist
attack; demands that in order to be fruitful must be promoted until the
end in cooperation with the middle and lower classes of our society.

4. The only way to achieve this is to question, in action, not only its
political legitimacy, but also the legality of the arbitrary authoritarian
and anti-popular power and hierarchy which is moving towards
totalitarianism with accelerating pace.

5. The workers at the General Hospital of Kilkis answer to this
totalitarianism with democracy. We occupy the public hospital and put it
under our direct and absolute control. The Γ.N. of Kilkis will henceforth
be self-governed and the only legitimate means of administrative decision
making will be the General Assembly of its workers.

6. The government is not released of its economic obligations of staffing
and supplying the hospital, but if they continue to ignore these
obligations, we will be forced to inform the public of this and ask the
local government but most importantly the society to support us in any way
possible for: (a) the survival of our hospital (b) the overall support of
the right for public and free healthcare (c) the overthrow, through a
common popular struggle, of the current government and any other
neoliberal policy, no matter where it comes from (d) a deep and
substantial democratization, that is, one that will have society, rather
than a third party, responsible for making decisions for its own future.

7. The labour union of the Γ.N. of Kilkis will begin, from 6 February, the
retention of work, serving only emergency incidents in our hospital until
the complete payment for the hours worked, and the rise of our income to
the levels it was before the arrival of the troika (EU-ECB-IMF).
Meanwhile, knowing fully well what our social mission and moral
obligations are, we will protect the health of the citizens that come to
the hospital by providing free healthcare to those in need, accommodating
and calling the government to finally accept its responsibilities,
overcoming even in the last minute its immoderate social ruthlessness.

8. We decide that a new general assembly will take place, on Monday 13
February in the assembly hall of the new building of the hospital at 11
am, in order to decide the procedures that are needed to efficiently
implement the occupation of the administrative services and to
successfully realise the self-governance of the hospital, which will start
from that day. The general assemblies will take place daily and will be
the paramount instrument for decision making regarding the employees and
the operation of the hospital.

We ask for the solidarity of the people and workers from all fields, the
collaboration of all workers' unions and progressive organizations, as
well as the support from any media organization that chooses to tell the
truth. We are determined to continue until the traitors that sell out our
country and our people leave. It's either them or us!
The above decisions will be made public through a news conference to which
all the Mass Media (local and national) will be invited on Wednesday
15/2/2012 at 12.30. Our daily assemblies begin on 13 February. We will
inform the citizens about every important event taking place in our
hospital by means of news releases and conferences. Furthermore, we will
use any means available to publicise these events in order to make this
mobilization successful.

We call
a) Our fellow citizens to show solidarity to our effort,
b) Every unfairly treated citizen of our country in contestation and
opposition, with actions, against his'/her's oppressors,
c) Our fellow workers from other hospitals to make similar decisions,
d) the employees in other fields of the public and private sector and the
participants in labour and progressive organizations to act likewise, in
order to help our mobilization take the form of a universal labour and
popular resistance and uprising, until our final victory against the
economic and political elite that today oppresses our country and the
whole world.