Workers across Greece are participating in a nationwide general strike today (20 November), encompassing all sectors of the country. The strike is being held under the slogans “Money for Wages, Education, and Health” and “Out of the War Slaughterhouses.”
This strike follows weeks of preparation, marked by massive protests and sector-wide actions involving doctors, construction workers, dockers, maritime workers, metal workers, telecom workers, hotel staff, and distribution employees. These coordinated efforts underscore the growing discontent among Greece’s working class.
In a statement, the Militant Front of All Workers (PAME), the organization leading the strike, declared: “For the strike to succeed, there is no alternative but to fight everywhere. If we don’t fight for our interests, we will gain nothing. The great strike struggles of construction workers, railway workers, delivery workers, hotel staff, miners in the shipbuilding region, dockers, shipyard workers, health workers, and teachers are showing the way, providing hope and optimism for more sectors to join in.”
The strike is expected to disrupt government offices, schools, hospitals, and public transportation, including trains and island ferries.
Yannis Panagopoulos, president of the leading private sector union GSEE, emphasized the growing challenges faced by workers: “The cost of living is too high, and our salaries have hit rock bottom, while the high cost of housing has left young people in a tragic situation.”
Like other labor groups, GSEE accused the government of “refusing to take meaningful measures to provide decent living conditions for workers.”
Currently, low-income Greeks are forced to subsist on a minimum wage of less than 900 euros per month, even as retail, telecom, and energy costs remain among the highest in Europe. The left-wing opposition often criticizes this disparity, claiming the less privileged are forced to pay “British prices on Bulgarian salaries.”
Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently pledged to raise the minimum wage to 950 euros. However, critics argue that this measure is insufficient in a society where the wealth gap continues to widen, exacerbated by rising housing costs.
Despite these domestic struggles, international credit rating agencies have lauded the Mitsotakis administration for its fiscal reforms. These reforms have not only ensured Greece met financial targets and returned to investment-grade status, but also enabled the country to outperform other EU member states in terms of economic growth.
