The trade unionist Konstantina Kouneva who suffered an attempt against her
life with acid dropped on her face, head and left shoulder, the 22^nd of
December, by unknown perpetrators, has escaped the danger to lose her life,
as doctors said. She is still in the Intentive care Unit of an Athens
hospital, and the damage to vital organs is probably very extended. We all
wish the best for her.

Great anger is boiling everywhere for this assassination attempt, which is
believed to come from the side of unknown employers of cleaning services.

There was a public meeting outside the hospital yesterday, while many unions
have produced statements of support. The headquarters of the state company
(HSAP - City trains) for which Kouneva herself was working, employed by the
subcontractor, was occupied today by angry trades unionists, workers and
unemployed, in protest against the terror spread to the workers by the
subcontractor and the non response of the state company to the long standing
union complaints. Many state companies in Greece use subcontractors for
cleanins, without controlling the conditions of work, wages and respect of
work law by them.

Konstantina Kouneva, general Secretary of the Attica Union of Cleaners and
Home workers, migrant woman from Bulgaria, was obviously considered by the
near assassins as the weakest link of this heroic union of precarious
workers, with 1700 members, mostly women, and she became eventually the
victim of strongest of the terrorrisation acts, an attempt against her life.

As all the board of the Union say since the attempt, the oppression,
dismissals and terror against the workforce was continuous by the particular
subcontractor where Kouneva was working, but also by all the others. Work in
mideaval conditions was the rule which this union was fighting against.
We are fighting for free trade unionism and against the terror of the
employers in this period of unemployment.`

We need statements of support by every trades union possible in Europe. We
already had some. We shall inform the ESF list about all developments on
this extreme form of employers aggression.

Sissy Vovou

Greek Social Forum