The violent riots that gripped Greece last December may act as a precursor of social uprisings for workers and employers globally – across party lines, age, culture, and socioeconomic background. Although the historic turbulences between Greek workers, union, and political government affiliations are very complex and deeply rooted in their respective culture and history, the global financial crisis raises the stakes for U.S. and global economies to re-examine the interdependence between government and workforce and recognize the social and volatile implications that can occur with the global economy in shambles. The recent uprising in Greece must serve as a warning for the rest of the world as everyone is currently affected...
... Ironically in a fit of unprecedented violence at the same Polytechnic University that saw the demise of the military junta in 1974, Greek labor strikes exploded with the shooting of the teenager last December. The culmination of the Greek government’s dissonance and inability to address the social and economic issues that plague the citizens exploded in 2008 to destroy the city of the ancestors of modern democracy. In the midst of social and economic downfall, the world watches in disbelief, and possibly, in disregard, “It’s tempting to dismiss this as a purely Greek affair that carries little significance to the outside world” (Kaplan 2008). Provactively, Kaplan warns, “Pay close attention to Greece; at a time of world-wide economic unheaval, it might eerily presage disturbances elsewhere in 2009.” With the United States falling into a deeper financial recession, the global economic crisis is cancerously making its way throughout the world. Issues of education, unemployment, governmental budget deficits in the billions of dollars, threatened pension funds (decreasing 401K values for us Americans) and all around uncertainty and cycnism of and for the future – we can only hope that the Greeks can teach us something else before it is too late.
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