Bank unions in battle

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With a vicious court judgement, the Greek state last week extended its attack on the political rights of workers.

The courts ordered the bank workers union to call off its strike, and ruled that the union was financially responsible for the losses of the banks and so must pay each banking group £12,000 for every day that the strike continued.

To cap this blatant anti-working class decision, the court denied any right of appeal.

Forced resignation

While the union bureaucracy hastened to comply with this edict of bourgeois justice, the 32,000 members continued their strike action and so forced the resignation of the entire executive.

The immediate origin of the strike lay in a government order to alter the times of work of bank employees. (This measure was designed as an economyto reduce city rush-hour traffic congestion, and so cut down on fuel consumption and lessen the effects of the oil price rise on

Greek economy!)

But the attempt of the Karamanlis government to impose this bright idea arbitrarily on workers came at a time of mounting opposition to state wage controls.

Not only did the bank employees refuse to obey, and take strike action, but their cause became a focus of oppos¡tion to the government's policies and ruthless defence of capitalist interests.

As fellow trade unionists from the public utilities, along wth students and the PASOK (led by Papandreou), gave their support to demonstrations called by bank workers, the government imposed bans on such activity.

Police attack Hundreds of police savagely attacked a march on Athens university two weeks ago.!

Not content with such repressive measures, Karamanlis moved to organise scabbing on the strike and decreed that the bank employees would be placed forcibly under military "discipline ECO DITI :h £2.70 to Folrose Bor Hill, London NW5 IHR. in the whole of Germany, East and West, work which has also involved her in the recent campaign for the release of Robert Havemann.

If found guilty of gathering information, the "crime" for which she was arrested, she could face a sentence of up to 12 years imprisonment.

I am sure that as internationalists you are aware of the significance which a successful campaign for the release of Ms. Bahner could achieve.

The issues raised by such an incident relate not only to the defence of democratic rights in the whole of Germany, but ultimately to problems which can only be solved by the unific: ation of Germany under a socialist banner and the importance of that step in the struggle for a United Socialist States of Europe.

Consent

The fact that the SPD bureaucracy has shown extreme reluctance in fighting for the release of Annette Bahner is just one among many pieces of evidence pointing to the tacit consent which bureaucracies of both East and West give to the division of Germany and thus the world into two oppressive political systems.

I must stress the importance of rallying as many members and supporters of the labour movement as possible around this cause.

Further details of the campaign can be obtained by trade union branches and Labour Parties from the above address.

Yours fraternally, Nichblas Phillips (for the / Committee for Release of Annette Bahner).

FREE ANNETTE

BAHNER!

Lobby and Demonstration at East German Embassy, Wednesday 5 September 11am-1pm.

Against Repression Meanwhile in Czechoslovakia plans are going ahead for the show trial of ten "dissidents"all members of the "Charter 77" democratic rights movement.

The ten range from Peter Uhl, an avowed revolutionary Marxist, to clergyman Vaclav Maly:

Socialist Press will carry an extensive interview with a leading Czech socialist exile next week, in which the background to the show trials is examined.

In the meantime, union branches and Labour Parties should take up the fight for the release of all ten victims of this latest Stalinist frame-up..

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