Greek Health Workers Occupy Hospital

This is a big thing. Revolt seems close in Greece.

Health workers at a hospital in Kilkis have decide to take over their hospital and put it under workers' management. There is a new epidemic of homeslesness affecting people whose lives have been shattered by the crisis and the austerity measures.

This seems like a big story. Cannot find anything in the MSN about it. A good example of how we do not get the full story of whats going on in Greece. The hospital is now under workers control. This is the statement that they issued.

The workers of the Γ.Ν. (General Hospital) of Kilkis: doctors, nursing and the rest of the staff that participated in the General Assembly concluded that: 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 full 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. (original, source of English translation)

Seems like a big thing. Greece is worse than MSN is telling us. Can anyone find a major 'news' outlet reporting on this?

www.marxist.com...

reply to post by theubermensch


Dear theubermensch,

Good catch, flag and a star so that maybe others will see the post. Peace.

www.tmponline.org...

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’.

This is from another site.

Still cannot find MSN coverage though.

reply to post by AQuestion


Thanks droog

Cant believe this isnt being reported.

I'm sorry, I don't understand why anyone would revolt to seize Greece. What are they going to do with an empty cookie jar?

They're demanding pay raises and back pay from the government, plus all needed medical supplies or they will stop treating non-emergency cases. Doesn't that seem nuts?

Or is Greece so far gone that the citizens will just have to take out their anger by destroying everything in sight? Then they will sit in the rubble of their country and ask some other country to rebuild for them, or take them in as refugees. Is it that bad?

Originally posted by charles1952
I'm sorry, I don't understand why anyone would revolt to seize Greece. What are they going to do with an empty cookie jar?

They're demanding pay raises and back pay from the government, plus all needed medical supplies or they will stop treating non-emergency cases. Doesn't that seem nuts?

Or is Greece so far gone that the citizens will just have to take out their anger by destroying everything in sight? Then they will sit in the rubble of their country and ask some other country to rebuild for them, or take them in as refugees. Is it that bad?

Where are you from?

And no it doesnt seem nuts to me at all. Seems the logical thing to do is revolt.

Where are you from? what country?

reply to post by theubermensch

Dear theubermensch,

Good morning.

I'm from the middle of the US (as you can see from my mini-profile). And the reason I don't understand the revolt is that when it has been succesfully completed, won't the revolutionaries have just a shell of a country with no significant assets? I wouldn't want to be responsible for bringing a Greece destroyed by financial crisis and revolution back to life.

With respect,
Charles1952

Originally posted by charles1952
reply to post by theubermensch

 

Dear theubermensch,

Good morning.

I'm from the middle of the US (as you can see from my mini-profile). And the reason I don't understand the revolt is that when it has been succesfully completed, won't the revolutionaries have just a shell of a country with no significant assets? I wouldn't want to be responsible for bringing a Greece destroyed by financial crisis and revolution back to life.

With respect,
Charles1952

I see what you mean. But in my opinion Greece under the crippling austerity is a shell of a country anyway. I would like to see the people rise up against the IMF and force a default. I see a shell either way but I think for Greece to rise from the ashes like a pheonix it must be free of the IMF.
Respect.
And sorry about getting sharp

I would revolt too if my quality of living was raped by bankers making bad derivative bets and then putting it on the taxpayers dime.

Not to mention their government was taken over by an UNELECTED banker when their prime minister stepped down. Would you want a Bernie Madoff type to be your president? Would you want Ben Bernake UNELECTED to take over the presidency? I wouldn't....

www.morningstaronline.co.uk...

Why wouldn't you revolt?


I'm shaking my head at the above poster from the USA

reply to post by mnmcandiez


I agree

Thanks for the link hey.

reply to post by mnmcandiez

Dear mnmcandiez,

Thank you, I feel like an ATS veteran now. Nobody has shaken their head at me before. I see it as a badge of acceptance.

Would I be angry enough to revolt? Sure, I'm not questioning that. Raped qualities of living get people furious, no argument.

But then you ask, "Why wouldn't you revolt?" I got a start at answering that question in my earlier posts, but my basic point is, "What does it get you?" Wouldn't it make more sense to wait until Greece was a going concern that could provide for its people and THEN take it over.

Sure, I understand the desire to break open the piggy bank, but wait until there's something in the piggy bank to make it worthwhile.

Do you revolt for higher wages? Then the Greek government says (truthfully) we don't have the money. What do you do then, burn down government buildings? Fine, now you've got a pile of rubble. Is that better? Say you kill every Greek politician and government employee, then what?

I'm shaking my head at the above poster from the USA

Still? Or is there something worth talking about?

With respect,
Charles1952