We would
like to inform you of the latest developments in the struggle of the workers
of VIOME.
 |
| Foto: Andrés Lofiego |
When large
parts of society decided to stand by us and support us with whatever means they
had available, a large network of solidarity was created. Consequently we managed to build relationships of trust,
through common assemblies were the wider community can participate, where together
we make decisions on the political course of the struggle, as well as on many
other issues.
Many
political organizations agreed with the political framework that we, together with
the wider community, have set. To this day they support our effort to operate
the factory with workers’ control of production and self-management by the workers’
assembly.
 |
| Foto: Andrés Lofiego |
Of course,
after SYRIZA came to power, the statements and the commitments became more and
more vague. The determination they demonstrated when they were in opposition
was replaced by timidity, and by proposals that we make compromises in a
different framework than what we had previously agreed upon.
Their great
“achievement” after eight months in government is to abandon the struggle of VIOME
to the machinations of the judicial system. The same judicial system that, despite
having condemned former owner of VIOME Christina Philippou to dozens of months in
prison, allows her to walk free, supposedly to do community service at a
municipality where she has strong "connections". To this day, she has
never showed up at the place where she is supposed to do community work.
The “first ever left-wing government” leaves us in the hands of this judicial system. A judicial
system that allows those who have abused and destroyed the Greek society for five
years now to walk free, never taking any action to punish them.
 |
| Foto: Andrés Lofiego |
And of
course, they have not taken any action to find a solution for the operation of the
factory, so we, the workers who have decided to stay on, can escape
unemployment.
According
to the court decisions, the unified plot of land where the VIOME premises are
located is to be auctioned on Thursday November 26, 2015, and for three consecutive Thursdays
thereafter. If no interested buyer is found, they will continue with the
process until they are able to sell the land, therefore evicting us from the
factory.
This land
consists of fourteen separate plots, some of which were directly or indirectly
donated by the Greek government to former owner Phillipou in recognition of the
"social contribution" of job creation. Now they are being put to auction to
satisfy the creditors of VIOME’s parent company Philkeram: the Inland Revenue
Office, the Social Insurance Service, former workers of Philkeram, banks and
suppliers.
 |
| Foto: Andrés Lofiego |
The
judicial system once again sides with the forces of capital and makes rulings
against the workers who assert the right to work. And of course, the state does
not face up to the challenge of providing solutions.
For this
reason, we, the workers of VIOME, invite all of you, who have been standing
beside us throughout this time of struggle, to be present on Thursday November
26 in the auction of the land, to abort their plan to evict us from the VIOME
factory. A space that we have, for two years now, managed to turn into a place
of work and a place of freedom.
We invite
you to stand beside us, to support every effort of the workers to make the
forces of production autonomous from the capitalist class, a class which anyway
has delocalised all production abroad.
We invite
you to support the operation of the factory, since we, the workers, have
declared that we are not leaving, that our lives are now linked to this factory.
We invite
you to stand beside us, so we can affirm all together that a solution exists beyond
the advices of the “experts”: this time around, the solution lies with those
who are directly involved in the struggle, not with the luminaries.
in
solidarity,
the general
assembly of the workers at VIOME
