Interim Report - Report No 58, 1962

Case No 224 (Greece) - Complaint date: 15-FEB-60 - Closed

1. 493. This case has already been examined by the Committee at its sessions in May 1960, November 1960, February 1961 and May 1961 (25th, 26th, 27th and 28th Sessions). After the first two of these sessions the Committee submitted to the Governing Body interim reports, which are to be found respectively in paragraphs 138 to 153 of its 47th Report and 266 to 281 of its 49th Report; the 47th Report was approved by the Governing Body at its 145th Session (May 1960) and the 49th Report at its 147th Session (November 1960). At its 28th Session (May 1961) the Committee once more submitted an interim report to the Governing Body which is to be found in paragraphs 165 to 182 of its 56th Report, which was approved by the Governing Body at its 149th Session (June 1961).
2. 494. The complaint of the Greek Federation of Workers in Electricity and Public Utility Undertakings, examined by the Committee at its sessions in May 1960 and November 1960, comprised two series of allegations. The first dealt with the arrest and deportation of Mr. Nicolas Charaghionis, the former General Secretary of the complaining organisation; the second, which was supported by specific allegations, dealt with the general trade union position in Greece.
3. 495. As regards the second series of allegations, the Committee, after examining the complaint and the Government's reply, considered that the complainants had not supplied proof that there was any link between their allegations and the free exercise of trade union rights'; accordingly, it recommended the Governing Body to decide that this aspect of the case did not call for further examination on its part.
4. 496. At its session in February 1961 the Committee had decided to postpone its examination of the outstanding questions until it received the additional information promised by the Government, together with the Government's observations on the new allegations by the complainants which had just been submitted to it.
5. 497. At its session in May 1961 the Committee submitted its final recommendations to the Governing Body about the allegations regarding the arrest and deportation of Mr. Charaghionis. The following pages deal only with the outstanding allegations.

A. A. The complainants' allegations

• Allegations relating to the Arrest and Deportation of Trade Union Leaders
  498. 498 In two communications dated 12 and 27 January 1961 the complaining organisation made allegations, although without going into any details, to the effect that some 20 union leaders (whose names and union offices it gave) had been arrested and deported without a court conviction because of their union activities.
  499. 499 In its reply dated 15 April 1961 giving its observations on this series of allegations, the Government declared that all the individuals mentioned by the complainants had been deported for purely political reasons which were completely unconnected with their union offices or activities. Nevertheless, it did not give any details of the precise actions of which these individuals were guilty and which led to their deportation.
  500. 500 In accordance with its normal practice, therefore, the Committee considered that before it could base its opinion on a full knowledge of the facts it needed to obtain further details from the Government about the precise reasons for the deportation of the 20 individuals listed by the complainants and about the actual activities of which they were accused. Pending receipt of this information the Committee decided to postpone its examination of this aspect of the case.
  501. 501 The request for additional information was notified to the Greek Government in a letter dated 26 June 1961 and the Government replied in a letter dated 25 August 1961 which was supplemented by a communication dated 21 October 1961.
  502. 502 In its letter dated 25 August 1961 the Government states that no measures have ever been taken in Greece against persons carrying on lawful, genuine trade union activities. However, declares the Government, some individuals used trade unionism as a mask for their illegal political activities in the anti-national interests of the Communist Party, which was outlawed in Greece in 1947. Action is certainly taken against such individuals but solely because of their subversive political activities and not because of their trade union functions or activities.
  503. 503 As regards the reasons for the deportation of the individuals mentioned by the complainants, the Government gives the following details in its communication dated 21 October 1961.
  504. 504 Mr. N. Tsochas, a Communist for many years, has always been a wholehearted Communist Party worker and turned his home into a centre for propaganda and secret meetings; he organised Communist cells in the trade union movement.
  505. 505 Mr. A. Tsatsaronakis has been a Communist for many years. During the Occupation he was a member of the Communist terrorist O.P.L.A organisation in Crete. He has always conducted intensive clandestine propaganda on behalf of communism.
  506. 506 Mr. Ch. Raptis, a militant Communist, engaged in intensive clandestine subversive activities which led to his being deported.
  507. 507 Mr. D. Tsistinas has been a member of the Communist Party since 1937. During the Occupation he obtained a Bulgarian identity card and fought on behalf of Macedonian autonomy. Since then he has thrown himself fanatically into Communist propaganda work and has been guilty of subversive activities.
  508. 508 Mr. J. Plapoutas is a Communist Party member and has a long record of clandestine activity; among other things he was a member of various terrorist organisations and as a result was sentenced to death although the penalty was later commuted to life imprisonment.
  509. 509 Mr. J. Petsas is a Communist who has carried on subversive activities in the trade union movement.
  510. 510 Mr. Ch. Kanakis is an extremely active Communist. At the 1934 elections he was a Communist Party candidate. As a member of the Party's executive committee during the Occupation he carried on intensive subversive activities in northern Greece, where he worked energetically for the spread of communism. After the Liberation he formed terrorist assault groups and served at all times as a channel for orders from the Communist Party to the trade unions.
  511. 511 Mr. G. Tsourouflis, a Party member, played an active part in the attempted Communist coup d'état in 1944. Since then he has continued his clandestine activities by passing on the orders of the Communist Party to the unions.
  512. 512 Mr. K. Papavassiliou is an active member of the Communist Party. During the Occupation he was responsible for recruiting young men for the assault groups; as a member of the terrorist O.P.L.A organisation he continued his clandestine activities after the Liberation among the trade unions of Thessalonika.
  513. 513 Mr. D. Malagardis, an active Communist, has for many years been engaged in subversive clandestine activities. He took part in an attempted coup d'état in 1944 and subsequently made his mark as an organiser of Communist cells in the trade union movement.
  514. 514 Mr. Z. Manios is a Communist Party member who was responsible for propaganda and education. He was always one of the leaders of Communist demonstrations.
  515. 515 Mr. Th. Manzaris, an active Communist, worked fanatically to spread communism among the workers. He maintained secret contact with other Communist organisations with a view to reorganising the underground Communist network.
  516. 516 Mr. P. Afalis is a clandestine Communist agent and agitator who was always one of the leaders of Communist demonstrations.
  517. 517 Mr. G. Kappos has been a Communist for many years and has always carried on intensive subversive activities. As a member of an armed group he organised collections on behalf of the Communist Party, and propaganda material for the unions was channelled through him. At a meeting which had been forbidden by the authorities he was seen throwing stones at members of the police.
  518. 518 Mr. Th. Kadis is considered to be one of the most active members of the Communist Party. He took part in the attempted coup d'état in 1944. From 1950 onwards he was Deputy Secretary of the Eighth Communist Regional Committee set up to reorganise the Communist underground network.
  519. 519 Mr. Ch. Galanopoulos is a Communist agent who took part in the mutiny of Greek armed units in the Middle East during the war. His clandestine activities in Greece involved a series of illegal acts as a result of which he was sentenced to death, although this was later commuted to a term of imprisonment.
  520. 520 Mr. A. Mitrogogos is an active Communist agent who has been employed on propaganda and Communist education. In 1958 he was assigned to reorganise the Communist underground movement in Thessalonika.
  521. 521 Mr. K. Boulas is a Communist agent who used to be heavily engaged in subversive activities. He reorganised the Communist underground network at Kavalla (Macedonia) and endeavoured to propagate Communist doctrines in the trade union movement.
  522. 522 Mr. E. Karachalios, an active Communist agent, spread Communist doctrines among the unions in Kavalla and incited the workers to various subversive actions.
  523. 523 Mr. E. Kalevras is a militant Communist who took part in the mutiny of Greek armed units in the Middle East during the war. On returning to Greece he became the editor of a Communist newspaper published in Alexandroupolis (Macedonia). He was sentenced to two-and-a-half years' imprisonment because of his subversive activities and on leaving prison continued his clandestine activities in the trade union movement.
  524. 524 Mr. B. Gramatikos is a very active Communist agent who made his mark as an instructor and agitator. In 1956 he was in secret contact with other Communist agents with the aim of reorganising the Communist Party underground movement.
  525. 525 Mr. Th. Psaropoulos is a militant Communist who was engaged for many years in intensive clandestine activities. In 1953 he organised subversive demonstrations at Kavalla and played an active part in the Communist underground movement. He confessed to the actions of which he is accused and declared his intention of continuing wherever possible.
  526. 526 The complainants have not furnished sufficient proof to show that the measures taken against the persons referred to by the complainants were due to their trade union activities. On the other hand, the Government has furnished details according to which these measures were occasioned by political activities outside the normal sphere of trade union activity and which as such fall outside the competence of the Committee.
  527. 527 In these circumstances the Committee recommends the Governing Body to decide that this aspect of the case does not call for further examination.
• Allegations relating to the Refusal to Allow a Trade Union Newspaper to Be Published and the Dismissal of Workers Who Tried to Form a Trade Union
  528. 528 In a communication dated 14 July 1961 the Greek Federation of Workers in Electricity and Public Utility Undertakings put forward a number of new allegations concerning a refusal to allow a trade union newspaper to be published and the dismissal of workers who had tried to form a union.
  529. 529 A copy of this message was forwarded to the Government in a letter dated 4 September 1961 but the Government has not forwarded its observations thereon.
  530. 530 Accordingly, the Committee has postponed its examination of this aspect of the case pending receipt of the Government's observations.

The Committee's recommendations

1. 531. As regards the case as a whole the Committee recommends the Governing Body:
   • (a) to decide, for the reasons indicated in paragraphs 498 to 527 above, that the allegations relating to the arrest and deportation of trade union leaders do not call for further examination;
   • (b) to take note of the present interim report as regards the allegations relating to the refusal to allow a trade union newspaper to be published and the dismissal of workers who tried to form a union, it being understood that the Committee will make a further report when it is in possession of the Government's observations on these two allegations.