Greece

February 1879

The first strike in the industrial sector broke out in Ermoupoli, the most significant economic centre of 19th-century Greece. It was organized by the workers in the shipyards who demanded rise in wages, better working conditions and fewer working hours. This unsuccessful strike was followed by another strike in the same city, organized by the workers in the tanning industry who demanded the Sunday holiday.

1893

International Workers’ Day is celebrated for the first time in Greece. The festivities were organized by various socialist groups in Athens and they were followed by the harsh repression of the socialist movement by the state.

April 1896

The third strike in the mining site of Lavrio (after those of 1883 and 1887) broke out. The workers demanded rise in wages and better working conditions. The strikers were confronted by the military and at least two were killed, while many were wounded.

March 1906

Τhe workers in the mining site of Lavrio unionized and went on their fourth strike, demanding a rise in wages, better and safer working conditions, fewer working hours, and social security. The strikers were disbanded by the military and the navy. This was one of the most significant in a series of strikes that took place between 1905 and 1909.

1910

In the midst of strikes in the tobacco industry in Thessaly, regional croppers protested against landowners and demanded the completion of the agrarian reform. In March, the gendarmerie attacked a group of protesters in a train station near the village of Kileler, resulting in the death of four croppers while several others were wounded. In March and April, the engineers and the stokers of the merchant navyn (who had unionized in 1907 and 1908 respectively) went on strike, demanding the expulsion of non-Greek workers from the navy, better living conditions on board, and fewer hours of work. This was the first large-scale strike in the Greek merchant navy.

1911-1912

During this period, the Liberal Party enacted labour legislation for the first time. This included the regulation of working hours in some industries, the introduction of labour inspectors, the regulation of child and women labour, the Sunday holiday, and the regulation of the working conditions in manufacturers. However, this legislation was heavily violated by employers. In a series of attempts by the Liberal Party to control the labour movement, legislation to regulate the functioning of trade unions was enacted for the first time.

1913

The most significant labour organization of the Ottoman Empire, Fédération socialiste ouvrière de Salonique, was “annexed” to the Greek State along with the annexation of Salonica. The organization primarily represented the Jewish workers of the city, a heavy population of workers in the tobacco industry of the region. It played significant role in the unification of the Greek socialist and labour movements.

August 1916

The miners in the island of Serifos went to strike demanding a rise in wages, better working conditions, and the eight-hour day. The strikers were confronted by the police and the gendarmerie, resulting in the death of five miners and the wounding of many others.

October 1918

The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) was founded, representing 214 trade unions and 65.000 unionized workers. After 1920, GSEE split between a liberal-reformist organization and a communist organization, which was linked with the Socialist Workers’ Party of Greece (SEKE). Despite the fact that GSEE outweighed in terms of membership the communist initiative, the latter was the most assertive during the Interwar period.

1920

The Greek government accepted the “Hours of Work (Industry) Convention” of the International Labour Organisation–although the application of the convention was postponed for several years.

August 1923

After a series of strikes during the spring and the summer, a nationwide general strike took place as a protest against the deterioration of wages and living conditions. The action climaxed in the port-city of Piraeus, where strikers were confronted by the police and the military, resulting in the death of eleven workers while many were wounded, persecuted or exiled. In the aftermath of the strike, the labour movement was harshly repressed and all trade union bodies were dissolved and prohibited for some months.

May 1926

The Confederation of Civil Servants of Greece (SDYE) was founded. One year later it organized its first strike, but was harshly repressed by the state.

June 1928

The workers in the tobacco industries of Macedonia and Thrace went on strike, demanding healthcare, greater political freedom, and a rise in wages. The strikers were confronted by the police and the military, resulting in the death of four workers, while many others were injured, persecuted or exiled.

February 1929

The communist syndicalists founded the Unitive General Confederation of Greek Workers (EGSEE), after they were forced out of the GSEE by the conservative and the socialist syndicalists. In July, the Liberal Party enacted a law (Idionymon), according to which the crimes committed by communists would be considered and punished as crimes against the national security. The law was used excessively during the 1930s against the labour movement in general.

1931

After the fifth Conference of GSEE in September 1930, the socialist syndicalists were forced out of the Confederation by the conservatives and formed the Independent Workers’ Unions (AES). The collaboration of AES with some non-politically-oriented unions culminated in the formation of the Panhellenic Confederation of Work (PES).

September 1932

Communist syndicalists founded the Central Civil Servant’s Commission (KPE), which met harsh state repression (that eventually led to the dissolution of all civil servants’ unions in 1936). Furthermore, the communist intellectual and politician, Giannis Kordatos, published the first printed history of the Greek labour movement.

October 1934

The “Pact for the united antifascist action” was signed by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the Agrarian Party, the GSEE, the EGSEE and the AES. A few days later, legislation was enacted for the foundation of the Institution of Social Insurance (IKA), a central state-institution for the social security of all workers in the private sector. In the same year, the Panhellenic Federal Union of Unemployed (POEA) was formed under the guidance of the Trotskyist tendency of Archeio-Marxism, representing 7,000 members and 23 first-level unions.

1935

Τhe collective agreement between unions and employers was legislated, although the act was accompanied by the prohibition of strikes.

1936

In May, a general strike was declared in Salonica in support of the workers in the tobacco industry, who had gone on nationwide strike since April. The workers’ protest was confronted by the military, resulting in twelve workers getting killed, while many got injured, persecuted or exiled. In the 4th of August and one day before the general strike, which was declared by GSEE, EGSEE and AES, take place, Ioannis Metaxas established dictatorship in Greece, abolished the political and syndicalist rights, persecuted harshly the communists and the syndicalists and put GSEE, now renamed as National Confederation of Greek Workers (ESEE), under the control of the state.

1941

In July, the National Workers’ Liberation Front (EEAM) was established with the initiative of the communists and the collaboration of GSEE, EGSEE and AES against the German, Italian and Bulgarian occupation. After the formation of the National Liberation Front (EAM) in September, EEAM became the syndicalist branch of EAM. During this period, the communists also founded the Central Civil Servant’s Commission (KPE).

March and April, 1942

In March and April, the civil servants went on strike with the support of KPE.

February and March, 1943

In February and March, EAM organized general strikes against the decree of drafting Greek workers in order to be sent to work in the German war industry.

1944

On International Workers’ Day, 200 political prisoners, mostly communists, were executed at the firing range of Kaisiariani in retribution for the killing of a German army general and three army officers. In August, the Central Commission of EEAM declared herself as the leadership of GSEE.

1946

In March, the 8th Congress of GSEE took place, where the united left block, Labour Antifascist Coalition (ERGAS), won more than 80% of the seats and the communist trade unionist Dimitris Paparigas was elected general secretary of GSEE. The Council of State, the highest administrative jurisdictional authority, canceled the decisions of the Congress and the state inflicted a conservative leadership to GSEE. From that moment and until 1974, the general secretary of GSEE was controlled by the state. During this period, the trade-union movement met the harsh repression of the state. From 1946 onwards, more than 100,000 communist trade-unionists, politicians and activists were executed, exiled, politically persecuted and imprisoned.

International Trade Union History and Memory Network

A timeline of the Greek Trade Union Movement

Contributed by Thanos Angelopoulos