Paving the road for the First International Bike and Motorcycle Riders’ Strike.
…and if there is no road, our common struggle will open the way…
One hundred and thirty‐six years have passed since Chicago in 1886 and the demand for a stable job with decent working conditions and a salary that meets our real needs is returning in a torturous way. The capital and the governments that serve it, aim to bring the working class worldwide back to the 1800’s. Speaking of the Greek state, the unlimited regression is reflected in all areas of work and everyday life:
1. Greece is one of the few EU member states in which the purchasing power of the net average wage decreased in 2020. At the same time, it is the only member state in which the net average wage is lower than in 2010.
2. Many of us work on a 7‐day schedule without a day off and unpaid overtime.
3. Inflation and tax raids are putting even more pressure on the working class.
4. Fatal work accidents are on the increase, with 33 dead in 2021.
5. The deeply anti‐labour laws of the current neoliberal government aim to ban strikes, strike self‐protection and file the members of the unions in order to weaken them. It also legislates unpaid overtime, it dissolves the Labour Inspection Department, it turns a blind eye to the dismissals of trade unionists and it abolishes Sunday as a day off.
An invitation from Athens to the world
Colleagues, brothers and sisters, the invisible production line of the global distribution factory that bonds us all is constantly expanding. And we are all tangled in its cogs, millions of employees, who speak all the languages of the world and carry innumerable products for thousands of employers. We deal with the same hardships, anxieties and needs. We are the ants of this gigantic factory. Working for the giant and at the same time digging its grave. Our struggles spring up globally like fountains of clear water and our common demand is clear: WE ARE NOT GOING TO LIVE AS SLAVES. And that is why we aim for a worldwide standstill on Sunday, May the 1st, 2022. We want the invisible production line of the global distribution factory that bonds us all, to stop at the same time in all the small and big cities of the world. On Sunday, May the 1st, 2022 our aim is a global march on the streets we daily ride on, the streets of our everyday struggle. Our worldwide actions can be coordinated as the common ground has already been cultivated. And as exploitation knows no borders, we, the ants of this world, have common goals and nothing to stand between us or divide us. The parallel and coordinated, constant resistance to the governments that serve the interests of the powerful, of the small, medium and large businesses, but also of the multinational giants all over Europe and all over the world, is a struggle of vital importance for our working rights and our everyday lives. Brothers and sisters, working for platforms is no different from “traditional” distribution in couriers, fast food outlets, restaurants or any other business. It is falsely presented as “different” because it serves the interests of big corporations and multinationals. It’s a cheap but heavily advertised trick so that employers can transfer all the labour costs to the employees, maximizing profits and minimizing expenses. Brothers and sisters, we are not expendable. We must put a stop on labour “accidents”. Wage labour resembles trenches of war when intensification is combined with lack of hygiene and safety, exhausting hours, contra shifts, work without breaks, non‐provision of Personal Protective Equipment, pocket money wages and employer arbitrariness. Professional bike riding must be insured as a hazardous occupation for all professional motorcycle and bike drivers because our profession is difficult, dangerous and unhealthy. We work on the road, accidents on the job are extremely frequent, we are exposed to all weather conditions, road defects and incessant noise. We are a high‐risk working group for a number of musculoskeletal disorders and occupational diseases.
List of demands:
1. Hazardous occupation insurance for all bike and motorcycle riders.
2. Work contracts must be unlimited in time with full rights, insurance and salary for platform and no‐platform workers including bike and motorcycle riders.
3. Company vehicles with a cargo component for all bike and motorcycle riders.
4.Bags of all kinds must be removed off the backs of all bike and motorcycle riders.
5. Work phones and internet data contracts must be provided for all bike and motorcycle riders.
6. Traditional companies and platforms must provide all safety equipment personally to every worker, bike and motorcycle rider including helmet, shoes, compatible clothes for all weather conditions.
We fight for the impossible today in order to avoid an unthinkable tomorrow.
Πρωτοβάθμιο Ομοιοεπαγγελματικό Σωματείο για ταχυμεταφορείς (courier), ταχυδιανομείς
(delivery) και Υπαλλήλους Εξωτερικών Εργασιών με δίκυκλο,
«Συνέλευση Βάσης Εργαζομένων Οδηγών Δικύκλου» (Σ.Β.Ε.Ο.Δ)
December 2021
