Many of you have probably seen the news regarding the closure of the Greek public broadcaster ERT that spread across news agencies during the last couple of hours.
On Tuesday, 11 June, the Greek Finance Minister used emergency powers to close all public service radio and TV stations. All workers at ERT are to be fired with immediate effect.
Last night, thousands of citizen have joined workers in front of the ERT headquarters to demonstrate their outrage. The union POSPERT and workers at ERT are leading the protest and are multiplying their actions. The union has been cut off its communication infrastructure inside the ERT. They are currently broadcasting via a pirate web TV channel and will organize manifestations and other actions.
European federation UNI-Europa has been in contact with colleagues of POSPERT last night and this morning.
POSPERT and the workers at ERT, and all Greek citizens outraged by this decision, need our support in the coming days and weeks.
It is important that all organisations around the word help to keep up the pressure on the Greek government.
From now on you can :
1. Sign and spread the petition of Aavaz:
Να σταματήση το κλείσιμο της ΕΡΤ! – Stop the shutdown of Public Television in Greece!
Συλλογή υπογραφών στο παρακάτω λινκ – The petition is really important.
Click here to find out more and sign
2. Watch and share live free Greek TV here
3. Let your organization issue statement in support of ERT and our colleagues online and circulate it to your members. Tweets are welcome and should use the hashtags: #ert – #freedomofspeech – #democracy
4. Encourage your members to tweet and share on facebook
5. Consider (with your national coordinations) organising a protest in front of the Greek embassy and asked to be received to hand over your protest statement. Please make photos and share.
6. Send information to info [a ] altersummit.eu and to the unions : European Federation (UNI MEI Secretariat : johannes.studinger [a] uniglobalunion.org ) and Greek TU POSPERT at kyranni [a] yahoo.gr
For your information:
- a first statement that UNI Europa sent to colleagues in Greece, put online and distributed to Greek member of the European Parliament and to the EU Institutions.
- Find the ETUC statement here.
- Solidarity message by European Left Party
- Find here a comment by Yanis Varoufakis, Greek economist and blacklisted commentator
See here pictures of people protesting in front of the headquarters of ERT in Athens: