General strike against anti-labour bill grips Greece

Images via the KKE

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) reports that on October 14 2025, the day that the Greek parliament debated the anti-labour bill allowing for 13-hour workdays, a 24-hour general strike took place in Greece. It was the second one in the last 15 days.

The strike was called by 38 Labour Centres, which are local trade union associations, including those in the largest Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Patras, Larissa and Ioannina), as well as 18 sectoral trade union federations. These include the largest private-sector sectoral trade union confederation in Greece (that of construction workers), as well as the large federations of workers in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, textile, chemical industry, energy, railways, etc. The Confederation of Greek Civil Servants' Trade Unions (ADEDY) also decided to strike, in contrast to the majority of the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), which once again in practice supported the anti-popular government and employers. Thus, the great success of the strike was a response not only to the government, but also to the compromised leadership of the GSEE.

Workplaces, factories, construction sites, ports, banks, and transportation came to a standstill as thousands of workers marched through Athens and other cities. They protested against policies that continually lead to dead ends in people’s lives for the sake of the profits of business groups, increasing the exploitation and “flexibility” of the working class, and reducing people’s incomes due to high prices.

Dimitris Koutsoumbas: What is modern and humane is not the barbarity of the system of war and exploitation, but the new society, socialism

Dimitris Koutsoumbas, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), took part in the strike rally in Athens. Shortly afterwards, he and the rest of the KKE's MPs lambasted the anti-popular bill from the floor of parliament.

Koutsoumbas expressed the views of the majority of workers and the thousands of strikers outside the Parliament, describing the "fair work for all" bill, which aims to transform individuals into tireless workers akin to zombies, as a "morbid fantasy". He highlighted aspects of the barbarity that workers are already experiencing and, addressed the MPs of the parliamentary majority, asking: “What kind of people are you, defending exploitation?”. He addressed each of the government's false claims one-by-one, including the notion that the workers wish to work from dusk until dawn.

He condemned all those who treat people as disposable commodities leaving them without any free time to spend with their children, engage in physical activities, or take part in social and political life.

He observed that the government has only been truthful about one aspect of the bill: that infringing on workers' and people's rights is considered normal in the EU, a reality that parties like PASOK and SYRIZA have supported and put into practice. “You may want to take humanity back two centuries, but despite setbacks, the wheel of history always moves forward”, emphasized Koutsoumbas. He also pointed out that capitalist profit is responsible not only for failing to meet the contemporary needs of workers and intensifying exploitation, but also for wars and genocides.

Furthermore, Koutsoumbas highlighted the fact that the government has consistently refused to condemn the genocide of the Palestinian people by the murderous state of Israel, and is now supporting the “Trump plan” that denies the Palestinian people their right to their own homeland, in the hope that the Greek bourgeoisie will also get a share of the spoils.

“Justice lies in the path of struggle. What is modern and humane is not the barbarity of the system of war and exploitation, but the new society, socialism”, he concluded.

For more photos see: Communist Party of Greece - We refuse to become slaves in the 21st century! We demand work and life with rights!