When an Athens court ruled six days ago that the dismissal of 397 cleaning women from the Ministry of Finance was unconstitutional it appeared to justify a many month struggle during which the cleaning staff protested daily outside the Finance Ministry of Syntagma Square.

The dogged refusal on the part of the cleaning women to back down since September has seen them become symbols of popular anger and resistance against the Memorandum dictated policies mandating dismissals of even low-income public workers, and a dismantling of worker rights.

However six days after the court-order was issued they have yet to be reinstated with little movement of the part of the Finance Ministry. According to reports administrators would not let the cleaning women return to work, saying that they are still waiting for ministerial approval.

In protest the cleaning women have now returned to the entrance of the ministry building, symbolically chaining the doors shut. The women and their lawyer are accusing the ministry of flouting the law by ignoring the court’s decision. “Is it possible for those who claim to maintain law and order to refuse to implement court decisions?” the cleaning staff ask in a written statement. They say that they will not stop protesting until the court order is implemented.

The protest is currently taking place in the presence of police who have stated they may proceed with arrests of the protesters.