Panhellenic Musicians’ Association on the Greek National Opera – SNF

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“We support the struggle of the workers at the Greek National Opera

The Greek National Opera trade unions are stepping up their struggle against the dismissal of a colleague who has worked at the organisation since 2008 and has also been elected for several successive terms to the Board of the ‘Greek National Opera Workers’ Union’.

Despite the mass mobilisation of Greek National Opera workers to date, with participation from all departments and trade unions, management insists on demonstrating employer authoritarianism. It is characteristic that, to this day, it has refused even to meet with the leaderships of the trade unions representing workers at the Greek National Opera.

The attempt to intimidate workers by the Director of the Greek National Opera, Mr Koumendakis, will come to nothing. This is not an isolated incident, but part of an escalating effort to abolish rights, outsource entire departments and create the climate of fear required to push through such plans. Our union has experience of Mr Koumendakis’s authoritarian way of operating; he did everything possible to prevent an agreement from being signed with our union concerning the work of freelancers at the country’s largest music theatre. The reason for Mr Koumendakis’s attitude towards our union becomes clearer from musicians’ reports of enormous payment delays lasting more than a year.

The only way to confront authoritarianism and the abolition of labour and trade-union rights is through workers’ mass mobilisation to assert their demands.

No worker and no temporary collaborator will remain outside the attack launched by the Greek National Opera’s management and the Government. The only difference is when it will manifest itself in each profession.

United, we continue to support the work stoppages decided by the trade unions for Thursday 4 June: from 10:00 to 13:00 for the morning shift and from 17:30 to 20:30 for the afternoon shift (the performance of Carmen).

We call on everyone to attend the protest rally on Thursday 4 June at 17:30 at the entrance to the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, before the scheduled performance.”

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pmu.gr

[alk]

What happened? Was a musician from the Opera dismissed? I can’t find much about the matter.

[loukasfilm]

He is not a musician. Read here:

In a new protest demonstration today, Sunday, at 5.45 p.m., outside the entrance to the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre, before the start of “Carmen”, the Greek National Opera Employees’ Unions (GNO) are calling for the withdrawal of the decision by the GNO’s artistic management not to renew the contract of an employee in the IT department, despite the clear objections expressed even at the level of the GNO Board of Directors.

As part of the protest, a joint statement co-signed by the GNO employees’ unions and unions from the cultural sector on the matter will also be distributed.

The statement, co-signed by the Panhellenic Federation of Performing Arts and Entertainment, the Employees’ Unions of the Greek National Opera, GNO Technical, Auxiliary and Other Staff, Lyric Opera Orchestra Musicians, Greek National Opera Chorus, Greek National Opera Staff, Athens and Epidaurus Festival Employees, National Theatre Employees, Athens Concert Hall Organisation Employees and Dance Sector Employees, the Union of Greek Opera Leads and the KTHBE General Staff Employees’ Association, among others, states the following:

“​​This concerns a highly specialised and very experienced colleague who has made a longstanding and substantial contribution to the organisation, while also having been elected for many years to the Board of Directors of the Greek National Opera Employees’ Union (SEELS).

The colleague has worked at the Greek National Opera since 2008, meeting the ongoing and critical needs of a department that is particularly vital to the organisation’s operation. His contribution to the day-to-day operation of the IT department, as well as to the GNO’s move to its new premises at the SNFCC, was decisive and has long been recognised by employees, colleagues and managers.

Despite his long service, he has remained in a precarious employment situation for years, as have many other GNO employees who meet permanent and ongoing needs without stable employment relationships. This development further intensifies employees’ sense of insecurity and raises legitimate concerns about the staffing of the organisation’s critical services.

The removal of such an experienced employee substantially weakens the IT department, leaving it with serious staff shortages at a time when the GNO’s operational requirements are constantly increasing. At the same time, the trend towards replacing stable and specialised employment with external partnerships and outsourced solutions is being reinforced, with all that this entails for continuity and stability in the organisation’s operations.

Particular concern is also caused by the fact that he is an elected trade union representative of the employees. The ability of employees to participate actively in trade union life and represent their colleagues without fear or pressure is a fundamental principle of a modern and democratic working environment.

As workers in the artistic sector, we consider respect for the people who support the day-to-day operation of the Greek National Opera to be an essential prerequisite for maintaining the GNO’s high artistic and operational standards.

We demand the immediate withdrawal of this decision and the renewal of our colleague’s contract.”

The unions are calling for the mobilisation because the artistic management of the Greek National Opera has still not reversed the dismissal of employee Giorgos Konstantopoulos, a computer technician and treasurer of the Greek National Opera Employees’ Union (SEELS), and today is his last day of work.

Source: Νέα διαμαρτυρία το απόγευμα στο θέατρο στο ΚΠΙΣΝ, για την μη ανανέωση της σύμβασης εργαζόμενου και συνδικαλιστή στην Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή | 902.gr

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Statement from the Panhellenic Musicians’ Association

No to the silencing of artists

No to the silencing of our rights

We, the people of the cultural sector and the artists signing this statement, express our strong protest and opposition to the disciplinary proceedings and penalties imposed on our colleagues at the Greek National Opera.

We consider it self-evident and non-negotiable that every worker has the right to express their protest against a dismissal or any form of injustice at work, as well as that our trade union representatives, such as the president of the Panhellenic Musicians’ Association and the president of the Athens Labour Centre, have the right to intervene, provide information and defend workers at the Greek National Opera.

The exercise of these rights cannot be treated as a disciplinary offence, nor can it lead to disciplinary sanctions. Freedom of expression, trade union action and collective advocacy are fundamental rights.

The Greek National Opera is a leading public cultural organisation and must be a place of freedom, dignity and respect for the rights of workers and artists.

We call on the administration of the Greek National Opera to:

• immediately revoke the disciplinary penalties imposed on our colleagues.

• respect the freedom of expression and trade union action of all workers.

• ensure that expressing protest and participating in collective trade union activities will not be treated as disciplinary offences.

We call on everyone in the cultural sector, and every worker in the arts who stands up for freedom of expression, collective action and dignity at work, to support this resolution by signing it.

Link for signatures: tinyurl.com/psifismakallitexnon

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pmu.gr