Labour organisations hold demo in Athens for Bulgarian activist splashed with acid

[Joanne98]

Labour organisations in Greece are holding a demonstration in Athens on January 22 2009 in solidarity with Bulgaria's Kostadina Kouneva, secretary of the Union of Housekeepers and Cleaners in Athens, who was seriously injured in a sulphuric acid attack just before Christmas 2008.

Bulgarian news agency Focus reported that Kouneva's sight, hearing and mobility continued to be seriously hampered by the attack.

Media reports have said that the most probable motive for the attack was Kouneva's activism against labour exploitation of domestic servants and cleaners. Kouneva (44), who has lived in Greece for the past eight years, had received several threats prior to the attack, media reports said.

A police investigation produced no suspects. The Greek and Bulgarian labour ministries are discussing pension arrangements for Kouneva.

On January 21, members of the Greek Coalition of the Radical Left SYRIZA symbolically blocked a railway station in Thessaloniki as a sign of sympathy for Kouneva, Greek daily Eleftherotypia reported.

The Greek Federation of the Private Employees condemned what it described as the police's intention to "close the case quickly without a serious investigation".

Previous media reports alleged that foreign cleaning workers had been vulnerable to exploitation because some were working illegally. On January 1 2009, Greece opened its labour market to Bulgarians.

http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/labour-organisations-hold-demo-in-athens-for-bulgarian-activist-splashed-with-acid/id_34147/catid_68