OPINION

An unfair and unethical decision

Trade unions have over the recent years adopted the unethical practice of calling a work stoppage in order to hold a general assembly. These latter-day rebels, as it were, should be reminded that one of the basic principles of the union movement is that unionist demands and behavior should never come into conflict with the habits and the interests of society at large. The demands put forward by the unions have to be reasonable, fair and convincing so that they are more easily endorsed by voters. Holding a general assembly does not even qualify as a demand. In other words, such a meeting does not justify the decision to adopt more militant forms of action such as strikes or work stoppages. It is a free and unobstructed procedure and as a result it can very well take place in instalments or during off hours. Regrettably, union struggle requires some minimum sacrifice. The general assembly of the ETHEL bus company employees which was held during a lengthy work stoppage today (and which caused problems for thousands of Athenians who use the bus service every day) was not only unfair, it was also unethical. The meeting this morning was summoned in order to decide on the mobilization of employees in support of the illegal and anti-social actions of 38 bus company employees who fabricated state documents in order to be hired.

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