FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE BASE WORKERS’ UNION IN THE SECTOR OF MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE

1Who we are

We are workers in the sectors of mental health, recovery from addiction, special education and social welfare who are employed in workplaces such as:

Private special education, training and rehabilitation centres (speech therapy centres/ psychological centres/ physiotherapy centres/ counselling centres), special schools, Non Governmental Organizations, structures for rehabilitation, psychiatric clinics, day centres, mental health centres, psychiatric/psychological departments of hospitals as privately contracted labour force or contracted with a project contract, child guidance centres (private or public).

WHAT WE OPPOSE AND WHAT WE DEMAND

Against the degradation of our degrees

(Our internships and the trial working period must be paid at all times – we refuse to work voluntarily, since this work consists of an important part of the productive activity of each business/actor. Even when paid, we do not accept being paid 2 or 3 Euro per hour. We demand to be paid double when it comes to night shifts, working on Sunday or during public holidays. We demand to be paid when we take our leaves, to be given the allowances and holiday bonuses as well as the income supports that we are entitled to.

We defend the right to go on strike

Against the precarious working conditions (conditions such as flexible/split schedule, uninsured labour, voucher programs, community service, voluntarism, overtime and unpaid working hours) that inexcusably have been assimilated as an obvious part of the “work during the times of crisis” and subjugate us to an endless devaluation of ourselves and of our working value.

Fixed salary

Opposed to cutbacks in our wages, we demand a fixed basic salary that will ensure us the minimum of dignity in the face of the frustrating state and capital pressures.

Common wage for both the public and the private sector

Insurance for all workers

Free access for all to health and education structures (This request does not simply concern the working population but it also stands as a steadfast demand for our unemployed colleagues and for the population that makes use of the services that we ourselves are called to offer.)

Against mass lay-offs and the closure of mental health and social welfare structures

Recruitment of sufficient staff for each structure

Collective contracts

Advocacy for the rights of the beneficiaries of mental health and social welfare structure

Our organized presence in the workplaces

The unity and mobilization of the workers in the sectors of mental health, recovery from addiction, special education and social welfare into a base union with duration in time and consistency in action will consist of an emblematic milestone of struggle in our workplaces.

Our goal is to pressure our employers in order that the terms and conditions of work and remuneration are regulated for all workplaces. We aim to establish a labour front that will struggle against lay-offs, against the intimidation and arbitrariness imposed on us by the employers. Therefore, our immediate presence in the workplaces to defend our colleagues and to act by a common plan can impede the uncontrollable decisions of employers.

Besides, we support methodologies that are based on the ideas of freedom, self-help and respect to one’s personality. We organize ourselves in the base union in order to denounce incidents of violent intervention, indifference and commercialization of human suffering. We consider the public denouncement of such incidents as an important part for the realization of our active solidarity.

Parallel to the above moves, the necessity for our consistent and continuous presence in the various workplaces emerges in order to inform our colleagues concerning our working rights or other working mobilizations and of course in order to get into meaningful contact with them.

Our connection to base unions and our opposition to the regimental unionism

Solidarity between each and every one of us working hard to survive is more than essential. This is why we consider it vital to be organized in a base level (without leaders or party makers) and to coordinate our struggles in all workplaces. In our workers’ union there is no space for partnerships with syndicalist mouthpieces of the state and the patrons like GSEE (Greek General Confederation of Workers) and ADEDY (Highest Administration for the Unions of Public Employees). All these, they officially proclaim general strikes -that are more similar to a fixed game- only at times suitable for those who possess the riches, not at times when it is necessary to defend our class interests, while they don’t even hesitate to slander independent struggles that are beyond their control.

On the other hand, we recognize the necessity to get together with all those who get organized without mediators in order to collectively confront patrons and employers, namely with the rest of base workers’ unions. That is why we seek to communicate and support the struggles that each union is carrying out on a continuous basis. What is at stake for us is the collective support of the interventions in our workplaces. Furthermore, our participation in every form of union struggle and generally in workers’ struggles is a crucial demonstration of solidarity. So we consider that every struggle carried out by a base union is also our struggle.

Against the devaluation of our labour force

Solidarity between workers

Self-organization in the workplaces

Base Workers’ Union in the Sector of

Mental Health and Social Welfare

https://svepsykoi.espivblogs.net/

psyxoswmateio@riseup.net

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