As reported, the workers of the restaurant “barthelonika” in Thessaloniki, Greece have decided to take the restaurant under their own control in order to prevent its closure. What follows is a translation of a text issued by the workers themselves (greek original here) explaining their action and calling for solidarity.
AGAINST THE CLOSURE OF THE RESTAURANT BARTHELONIKA
LETS SUPPORT THE SELF-MANAGEMENT OF THE RESTAURANT BY ITS WORKERS
Since Monday the 7th of June us, the workers at the restaurant Barthelonika run the restaurant ourselves and for this reason, ask for the help and the support of all the workers of Thessaloniki.
Two weeks ago the owners of the restaurant announced us that the establishment was not going well and that it would close down for the three summer months – and further, that it was uncertain wether it would reopen in September and how many of us would work – and under what working conditions. They also announced us that all the workers at the restaurant would be fired immediately while firing compensations would only start to be paid out in October… that is, of course, if they had any money to pay the compensations out.
As workers in the food industry we know well that a firing in today’s circumstances of deep economic crisis and tough anti-workerist attacks would mean our throwing out in the cold. For this reason we decided as workers at the restaurant not to bow our heads and to take matters in our own hands. We demanded and achieved from the management of the restaurant to pay some expenses for the establishment and our own insurance – and we now have taken on the management of the restaurant for the following two months (June and July) while in August we have achieved to have our holiday as normal.
As workers at the Barthelonika restaurant we are determined not to allow the restaurant where we work to close but also, not to allow any restaurant to close and no co-worker to bef ired. For this reason we stand in solidarity with the just struggle of our co-workers at the Banquet restaurant.
The restaurant Barthelonika will be under our control, through our general assembly. Decisions concerning its running will be taken by majority and will be respected by all us co-workers. Whatever remains from profit after expenses will be distributed equally among all co-workers. All of us co-workers will work the same hours, at the same positions where we were before.
We have also decided to offer a 30% reduction to all customers of the restaurant.
We call for all workers, the youth and the people of Thessaloniki to actively support our effort to run the restaurant, in order to save our jobs and not to be thrown out to unemployment and misery.
The restaurant Barthelonika is in the centre of our city, at 3 Venizelou Str in the Rogoti Arcade, 1st floor, tel. 2310 225 242
Opening hours: 11 am to 1 am. Closed on Sundays.
THE WORKERS OF THE RESTAURANT BARTHELONIKA
4 Comments
an article (en) about the banquet-restaurant can be found here:
http://athens.indymedia.org/front.php3?lang=en&article_id=1170718
If the owner couldn’t make it work, a 30% drop in prices is only going to make it work if the traffic doubles. Otherwise, the only way to make it work is basically to not pay “the proletariat”.
I’m all for it. It’s the only way some people, normally prone to thinking that they can get more for themselves by sticking it to their employer, will understand the difficult business of breaking even, and of taking on personally the risk of failure.
@JOE-
Your’re either a boss or an American-style ‘individualist’, because you obviously have no idea of the concept of social solidarity..30% off will have people flocking in!
When you say “some people, normally prone to thinking that they can get more for themselves by sticking it to their employer” it shows that you are unaware of how employers “stick it” to their workers with shit wages, working conditions, or employee protection, and a generally inhumane, day-to-day, petty tyranny of some self-serving arsehole being on your back for 8 or more hours…All so he or she can enrich themselves off the back of someone just trying to survive. Workers Control works- It’s people like you, who would sanction state terror to keep the tatty compensation of material things and a ridiculous sense of power over others, than allow a more just world. I hope a waiter pisses in your soup next time you’re in a restaurant (your own or some one elses’)…
It’s now September 25th, any news on how the situation has evolved at the Bartelonika Restaurant? Is the old owner back? Is the restaurant still open self-managed by the workers?
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