Venizelio Hospital Employees Join Nationwide Strikes on April 9

On April 9, Greece braces for a wave of national protests as workers and citizens prepare for a 24-hour strike called by the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) and ADEDY. Across the country, unions, associations, and organizations call for mass participation in demonstrations.

Crete is not sitting this one out. Here, local groups are already organizing support for dynamic assemblies. Of these, the Venizelio Hospital Employees Union has stepped forward, providing a clarion call for change in compelling public statements. Their message? Enough is enough.

Decoding the Grievances: Why the Strikes Matter

The Venizelio Hospital Employees Union has underscored their frustration and exhaustion with a stark and unapologetic assessment of the current state of affairs.

• Skyrocketing Costs vs. Crippling Wages: With baseline salaries capped at €880 and inflation hiking prices for food, electricity, and fuel, workers are drowning in what feels like a financial riptide. Meanwhile, corporations rake in profits reaching billions.
• A Health System Teetering on Collapse: Public hospitals like Venizelio are crumbling under pressure. Staff shortages leave employees spread too thin, while patients face semi-eternal wait times or exorbitant private fees for care that should be readily available.
• Privatization Run Amok: Moves toward privatizing healthcare and essential services are stripping the public of any semblance of security and making vital resources exclusively available to the wealthy.
• Erosion of Workers’ Rights: From erratic employment contracts to workplace repression, labor conditions barely offer stability.
• A Demand for Fairness: Protesters are pushing for a baseline wage of €1,200 and restored 13th and 14th salaries to reflect national living standards.

Hospital staff, unions, and other organizers argue these issues aren’t just economic. They’re fundamentally about human dignity. Their battle cry, “Your Profits or Our Lives,” resonates deeply against the backdrop of incidents like the recent tragedy at Tempi, a harsh reminder of how systems fail when profit takes precedence over safety.

What They’re Asking For

Strikers have a clear set of demands, pairing sharp critiques with actionable solutions:

• Salary and Pension Increases: Immediate adjustment of minimum salaries to €1,200 and restoration of long-lost benefits.
• Price Control: Substantial reductions in food, fuel, and medicine costs, with a scrapping of VAT on essential goods.
• Strengthened Public Healthcare: Investment in staff hiring and a rejection of policies aimed at privatizing public hospitals.
• Job Security: Permanent, stable work with reduced hours: a 6-hour day, 5-day workweek.
• Affordable Public Services: Free education, housing, and transportation—no backdoor privatization.
• Worker Protections: Repeal anti-strike bills and ensure that collective bargaining remains a protected right.

Eyebrows have been raised at controversial expenditures on military defense while workers argue that those funds could instead alleviate poverty or boost hospital resources. Protesters view austerity measures as deeply juxtaposed with Greece’s apparent lavish spending in other areas.

Strike Day Details

The hospital union has outlined its next steps with purpose and precision:

• Date: The strike is scheduled for April 9.
• Time and Place: Demonstrations in Crete start at 10:00 a.m., with supporters rallying at Eleftherias Square.
• Call to Action: “The time for apathy is over,” reads the union’s statement. “We’re showing up, not just for ourselves, but for everyone whose lives these policies have harmed.”

Their challenge is straightforward yet searing: citizens must decide whether to accept the status quo or rise for meaningful change passively. The Venizelio hospital employees are betting on solidarity to make a lasting difference.