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Zoe Lanara

Zoe Lanara

Zoe Lanara is International Secretary of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the national trade union centre for Greece.

Web: http://www.gsee.gr
  • International

    Why are the Greeks protesting?

    1st December 2011 — Filed under: International

    Zoe Lanara Zoe Lanara

    The Greek trade unions have called a general strike for Thursday 1 December. GSEE international officer Zoe Lanara explains why.

    Today’s general strike, called by the Greek General Confederation of Labour GSEE and the civil servants’ confederation ADEDY, is designed to protest the country’s 2012 budget which brings €7.1 billion in new regular and emergency taxes and heaps further cuts on pensions, wages and social spending.  The new budget plainly shows who is paying for the crisis and how injustice is piled on injustice. Wage earners and pensioners who in 2011 paid 55.5% of all taxes  (52.5% in 2008) are now being told to pay more while businessmen, if they pay at all, contribute only 28.6%  (30.8% in 2008).

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  • Economics

    Austerity: the union take on a very Greek tragedy

    23rd September 2011 — Filed under: Economics, International

    Zoe Lanara Zoe Lanara

    The latest austerity measures announced by the Greek government this week impose additional pension cuts, raise the number of civil servants to be suspended to 30,000 and lower the threshold at which people start paying income tax by a third to €100 a week. A new property tax on every homeowner regardless of circumstance will be collected through electricity bills: the unemployed, the disabled and pensioners will pay the same rate as the wealthy elite or have their electricity cut off.

    Greece is being pushed to its limits and we Greeks are being taken hostage for the rest of our lives. Indignation and despair have swept the country. In response, a 24-hour public sector strike on 5 October will be followed two weeks later on 19 October by a one day general strike called by the Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) and the civil servants’ union ADEDY.

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