Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-02-21

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] SYN Central Political Committee approves planning on labor, social and economic fronts

[02] Opinion poll on crisis, measures

[03] Tsipras seees deterioration

[01] SYN Central Political Committee approves planning on labor, social and economic fronts

According to the decision, specific steps will be taken to strengthen SYN's bonds with the working people, pensioners and unemployed, aimed at substantive improvement of SYN's intervetion in the labor union movement and its effective support of the ongoing working people's struggles.

The Central Political Committee confirmed SYN's direction for the creation of the conditions for "forming a uniform social and political front for the reversal of the Stability Program and the social injustices, impasses and neoliberal measures being taken by the PASOK government with the consensus of (main opposition New Democracy) ND and (Popular Orthodox Rally) LAOS".

The SYN Central Political Committee also called on the party's friends, members and cadres to put all their strength into the success of Wednesday's nationwide labor strike "which must be escalated and serve as the springboard of even more dynamic and mass social resistance, aimed at reversing the applied policies with which the government aspires to a radical redistribution of incomes and rights, at the working people's expense".

[02] Opinion poll on crisis, measures

Further, 75.8 percent of the respondents said strikes should be put off until the crisis has passed.

Public opinion was split, however, on the government's plan to set up a fact-finding commission on the economy, with 49.5 percent of the respondents believing that it will further mar the country's image abroad and 42.3 percent believing it is necesssary.

On the causes of the crisis, 32.7 percent of the respondents attributed it to speculative attacks, followed by lack of credibility, and and effort to undermine the euro.

To a question on whether Greece will succeed in exiting the crisis, 51.3 percent replied in the affirmative and 43.0 percent replied in the negative.

Regarding the popularity of the political leaders, 74 percent of the respondents have a positive opinion of prime minister George Papandreou, 69.8 percent have a positive opinion of main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras, 45.7 percent of Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) leader George Karatzaferis, 25.4 percent of Communist Party of Greece (KKE) leader Aleka Papariga, and 24.6 percent of Coalition of the Left, Movements and Progress (SYN) leader Alexis Tsipras.

[03] Tsipras seees deterioration

He reiterated the need for the creation of a powerful front opposite the "conservative coalition" of prime minister George Papandreou, main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Antonis Samaras, and Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) leader George Karatzaferis.

Tsipras further reiterated the need for unity in the Left sphere.

The SYN leader warned that the situation of the economy will deteriorate rapidly, and the recession will deepen to the point that it will not be at all easy to come out of it for many years to come. He added that the restrictive measures that have been proposed were totally ineffective because they will sink the economy deeper into recession and take Greece further away from any prospect of a way out.

This situation, in turn, will make the pressure on the weak social strata asphyxiating to the point that "we will have a dissolution of the social cohesion, and phenomena of nouveau poverty".

At the same time, however, the bankers continued unobstructed to profiteer, the shipowners continued to not pay taxes, the big-time contractors continued not to pay social security contributions, the Church continued to "keep all its robes for itself", and taxation on the profits of the big capital was being reduced, at a time when the low-salary earners were being squeezed dry by the indirect taxes, Tsipras charged.

Another major aspect of the repercussions of the economic policy being followed was the 'expropriation' of the social rights, he continued, stressing that, together with the immediate economic measures, institutional reforms were also being advanced that will "turn the country many years back".

In essence, he charged, the state was "pulling out of social security".

In an interview with Proto Thema newspaper appearing on Sunday, Tsipras said that Greece's problem is in essence a European problem and has to do with the structural weaknesses of the EU, which instituted a common currency without mechanisms to support the weaker economies.

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