Greek strikes should escalate to oppose the war

Workers in Greece struck for 24 hours (Pic: ergatiki on Facebook)

In Greece, dockers and seafarers struck for 24 hours on Thursday, halting local ferry services.

They are demanding that all seafarers in the Persian Gulf return home now.

As part of the strike, workers from the PNO—the seafarers’ union federation in Greece—rallied outside the Union of Greek Shipowners in the port city of Piraeus. There are reports of plans by the Union of Greek Shipowners to send a ship to the war-torn region in coordination with the government.

There are currently 265 ships flying the Greek flag or under Greek ownership in the Gulf region, including ten merchant ships with 85 Greek seafarers on board.

Earlier in the morning there were picket lines at the docks of Piraeus. Members of Workers’ Solidarity stood by their side calling for strikes to escalate against the war.

The Penen union, part of the PNO federation, is now calling for a 48-hour strike.

Penen’s call for the strike on Thursday reads, “This war, waged by American imperialism and murderous Zionist Israel, is aimed at Iran’s vast energy resources, at changing and controlling the political situation in Iran, to overthrow the regime in that country and to strengthen the influence of the US and genocidal Israel in the region.

“This is an aggressive, imperialist, and barbaric war that carries enormous risks of a wider confrontation.”

The statement also condemned Greece’s conservative government and its complicity with attacks by the United States and Israel.

“In this war, the New Democracy government has once again chosen to be directly involved on the side of the US and Israel, openly declaring its support and generously providing assistance at sea.

“This is a dangerous and deadly conflict that puts our country and our people in immediate danger, as we are now a real target for retaliation by Iran, as demonstrated by the missile attacks on Cyprus.

“In this deadly scenario unfolding in our region, seafarers are also at the centre of the armed conflicts, as Greek ship-owners continue to send their crews on deadly missions to war zones, sacrificing their safety and lives in order to reap huge profits.

 “We will not allow Greek passenger ships to be caught up in the war.”