24 Mar 2006
Civil mobilisation of Greek seafarers

ITF has sent the following Action Alert in support of Greek seafarers.

Mr. M. Kefalogiannis
Minister of Merchant Marine
150, Grigoriou Lambraki str.
Piraeus 185 35
Greece

By fax:  +30210 4114310

Dear Minister 

We are greatly concerned to learn from the Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation that the Greek Government has issued a civil mobilisation order on 21 February 2006, in order to end a lawful strike by Greek seafarers.  We stand by the PNO and the Greek seafarers and demand that this unlawful order is immediately rescinded. 

We are aware that this is not the first time such measures have been used and consider that they constitution a blatant breach of the principle of freedom of association, as provided for in ILO Convention No. 87 (Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise).  We also note that the ILO Committee of Freedom of Association, in Case No. 2212, found for the PNO and requested the Government to refrain from such measures in the future.

The imposition of such measures is damaging to the reputation of Greece, which is a traditional maritime country and which made many progressive interventions in the process which recently resulted in the adoption of the ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006. 

We trust that this letter will receive your sympathetic consideration and that the civil mobilisation will be revoked, with immediate effect.

Yours sincerely