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Establishment and History | |
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1917 : SYETE has been founded in May 1917 by a team of executives of E.T.E. (National Bank of Greece) and upon initiative of A. Korzis, a conservative but also tragic Prime Minister of Greece in 1940, who was also the first Secretary of the Union. Shortly after, the Supplying Cooperative of Employees is created, upon initiative of the same group of people who collected 110 signatures from their colleagues of that time.  During its first years of operation, the union was exclusively administrated by high-rank executives. Only permanent employees had the right to vote and -for practical reasons, only residents of Athens. However, little by little, SYETE starts its action in favour of employees' rights. During those turbulent years, the 1st World War resulted in the soviet revolution in Russia, and the Greek Division in Greece. During that year E. Venizelos formed a government in Thessaloniki, with the support of the Allies, while the king Konstantinos waited in Athens with pro-German feelings. 1919 : Immediately after the end of the War and the Allies'Victory, there was an intense social upheaval due to privations during the war, in Greece and all over Europe. A big strike of bank employees bursts out. The employees of the Bank of Athens were having a leading part. SYETE supports the strikers who ask for higher wage scale and for social insurance but denies however to strike, because the status of NBG employees is the example for the strikers. Moreover, the Expedition to Minor Asia has started and the union considers its support an issue of national interest. 1920-1940 : During the years after the Middle War, the left radical members in the union collide with the supporters of Venizelos, and lead to the prevailing of Venizelos' supporters. At the same time the tendency to organize into unions is developed by categories of employees, within NBG. 1922 : Thus, in 1922 the Union of Conductors and Ushers of NBG is founded. 1924 : and in 1924 the union of "women workers in the Bank". The new positive and claiming role of women, who started working in the Bank as secretaries and typists during the 1st World War, clearly appears here. 1930 : It was an important year for NBG employees, due to the creation of the Health Fund of the National Bank of Greece Personnel (TYPET). The Fund was created upon initiative of SYETE. Thus, the triptych of social institutions for the NBG employees (Social Security Funds - Trade-Union - Co-operative Organisation) was completed 4 years before the creation of IKA (Social Security Foundation), which started already in the 19th century, with the foundation of the Pensions' Fund in 1867. The high professional status of NBG employees becomes a model for the whole country in terms of health insurance. In the 30's, the Union progresses and becomes more democratic. The new apprentice- employees have already the right to vote. The Province slowly starts participating in collective issues. The Union develops important leisure (travelling), cultural, and training activity. The Library of the union is operating and is enriched with the best Greek and foreign magazines and books of general but also of banking interest. 1934 : Funds Crisis- 1st issue of TRAPEZITIKI magazine. Part of this important activity is imprinted on the pages of "Trapezitiki", the new employees' collective instrument. In the first issue of "Trapezitiki" , the first and the second pages are dedicated to the pension funds issue, where there was crisis. Tsaldaris' Government wanted to include TYPET in the SOCIAL SECURITY FOUNDATION (IKA), levelling in that way the exemplary -for that time- social insurance level of NBG employees. Then, SYETE collaborated with the Labour Center of Athens (EKA), "there was a threat for strike" and TYPET was rescued. In return, a little after the creation of a clinic for the employees, the registration of the staff in TYPET is possible only through their membership in SYETE. The total of NBG staff in that time E.T.E. counted 2.500 employees. 1940 : The Albanian epic. The employees of NBG participated with great enthusiasm in the war against the fascist Italian troops of Mussolini, like the whole Greek population did. SYETE played a leading role in the general mobilisation. "Trapezitiki'" magazine makes constant reference to the warriors' action-NBG employees, heroes-victims, and to the events for the soldiers, taking place behind the line. The care for the injured is illustrated on the pages of the Association's newspaper, with long articles and photos. TYPET and the premises of the Physical Education Institute are dedicated to the care for the injured. 1941- 1944 : Occupation - Resistance - Liberation The occupation troops divide the country in three sectors: German, Italian and Bulgarian. The Athenians are suffering from the heavy winter of 1940-41 and they are left without food. Since the beginning of the year 1942, the Resistance Movement starts organising. Bank employees are in the first line, here as well. In SYETE, a dynamic "eamic core (partisan)" wins the elections, displacing the previous administration which was considered insufficient.  This is how the important work of colleagues trade unionists and members of the national resistance started, which contributed significantly in the reorganisation of SYETE, TYPET and the Supplying Cooperative. The presiding boards of SYETE during the occupation period, activated indeed all bodies and institutions in the struggle for survival (wage, food, health) and developed an important resistance activity, leaving behind glorious but not very well known pages of history, verified today by the historical archives of SYETE. Chairmen such as, Haftas and Efthimiou and executives, such as E. Fraggou and N. Dousaitis have written history. In 1994 "Trapezitiki'" closes down. 1945-1948 : Liberation - Civil War After the end of the Occupation, EAM's flag covers for a short period the entrance of NBG, but the eamic presiding boards abandon the Associations' administration. Between the liberation and the civil war, the labour population can hardly breathe. Black pages of history are written during the worst period of the civil war. The reactionary presidium of the union is chasing eamic (partisan) colleagues more ferociously than the conquerors. Partisans' families which are led to Makronisos Island (exile) find support by members of the Administration of the Bank, with the tolerance of the Governor Pezmatzoglou, who has a personal conflict with the president of the Union. Progressively, at the end of the 40's and beginning of the 50's, things calm down. The administration of the union remains conservative, but prudent and moral. New persons are activated, mostly around Mitropoleos branch, an area where a lot of young employees are concentrated, who survived persecutions and are coiled in the New Movement of employees. The establishment of OTOE is an initiative of the Central Bank and specifically of its first President, D. Alevras. Rapidly, however, young trade unionists of SYETE turn towards the Federation and become its active officials, like E. Mavroulidis. 1955-1967 : The period 1955-1967 is exceptionally rich in pioneer fights for the rights of workers who are facing the oppression of the post-civil war governments. The trade-union movement of workers in Services of Public Interest (OTE-Greek Telecommunications, DEH- National Company of Electric Power) and the major banks separate their position from the governmental GSEE (General Workers Union of Greece) and support the big political change together with 114 company level unions. The trade unionists of SYETE play a leading role in the fights combining unfailing knowledge of their space and discrete action for the common interest.  1967 : The Dictatorship of the Colonels will stop the growth of democracy and the whole country. The pioneer trade unionists of SYETE are chased away from the Bank together with other progressive officials. The new elected administration of the union is compulsory conservative, but reliable in his commitment towards the workers. The funds of the employees are rescued after tenacious confrontation with the junta Minister. 1974 : The Change of regime inaugurates a new page in history. Little later the elections renew the presidium of the union and the chased trade unionists return to the union and to OTOE. 1979 : The major 40-days strike of bank employees for their working hours, achieves its goal and ends successfully. However, afterwards, new forces take the power from the moderate left wingers in SYETE and in OTOE. 1981-1989 : A series of renewed presidiums with important action appear in SYETE and then in OTOE. For the first time a woman colleague, I. Zervaki is elected as president of SYETE and later on of OTOE. The cultural activities of bank employees through their union are significant during that period. The unification of the Health & Insurance Funds of employees in NBG and Bank of Athens is achieved in 1982, approximately thirty years after the merger of the two Banks. This big step prepares the next one, which is the unification of all employee associations in SYETE. A second major 42 days strike achieves enormous improvement of the wage scales. 1989-1992 : During that period, the trade-union activity of SYETE is very significant and combines trade-union and political claims close to the Federation. 1993-2000 : SYETE coils forces in OTOE and gives more importance in its effort for modernisation and the confrontation of new problems in the sector, paying attention to the information on the new developments, in the framework of the European Social and Economic Convergence. |
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