On Thursday, workers at the sweetshop/patisserie chain “Hatzis” in northern city of Thessaloniki occupied the chain’s branch in the suburb of Kalamaria, culminating a struggle that had commenced in December, when they started abstaining from work in response to their bosses’ refusal to pay them salaries for the past five months, along with their christmas and easter bonuses.

According to a statement issued by the workers’ struggle committee, the company made profits of millions of euros in the past few years [it is one of the most successful chains in the country] yet for the past two years it has been paying irregularly, leading to it now owing the workers up to five wages, stipends and the -legally required- christmas and easter bonuses”. According to the committee, the company has accumulated a debt of millions of euros to the public insurance funds and its plan is to dissolve and to formulate a new legal entity, in order to bankrupt the old company and to avoid paying all its existing debts.

Taking advantage of the sweeping effects of the crisis, the bosses at Hatzis would force newcomers to work without being formally employed, working 6-day weeks with minimal insurance contributions, or demanding that new workers sign their new contract together with a “statement of voluntary withdrawal”, to avoid paying any compensation to fired workers.

In the past few days, after one of the company’s three stores closed down and its factory in Chalkidiki ceased its operation, part of the workers were transferred to another store. At the same time, four workers were fired and it appeared more were on the line. Those “lucky enough” not to be fired are planned to work under the company for salaries of 400 euros for 12-hour shifts, according to the workers’ struggle committee. In response, the workers occupied the store in Kalamaria, to stop the bosses from shutting down another store and removing all its equipment.

On the second day of the occupation (Friday Jan 20), police raided the store and arrested eight people in total (four workers and four people in solidarity). The woerkers’ external guarding of the building, and their struggle, continue.