- Title: Greek hotel workers strike in midst of tourist season
- Date: 20th July 2017
- Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JULY 20, 2017) (REUTERS) STRIKING WORKERS MARCHING IN CENTRAL ATHENS WORKERS THROWING FLYERS INTO THE AIR AS THEY MARCH WORKERS WITH FLAGS MARCHING WORKERS MARCHING WITH BANNER READING: (Greek) "WORKERS ARE PAYING FOR GROWTH AND THE CRISIS" VARIOUS OF WORKERS MARCHING THROUGH ATHENS VARIOUS OF WORKERS MARCHING PAST HADRIAN'S ARCH, AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE VARIOUS OF PROTESTER AND A FORMER HOTEL WORKERS' UNION LEADER, NIKOS PAPAGEORGIOU, USING RED SPRAY PAINT ON SIGN OUTSIDE GREEK TOURISM CONFEDERATION OFFICES, READING: (Greek) "NECESSARY COLLECTIVE LABOUR AGREEMENTS" PAPAGEORGIOU ADDRESSING PROTESTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) PROTESTER AND FORMER HOTEL WORKERS' UNION LEADER, NIKOS PAPAGEORGIOU, SAYING: "Our stop here is a message that from now on they will find us in front of every hotel, every restaurant, every tourism business that does not adopt collective labour agreements." VARIOUS OF WORKERS WITH BANNERS STANDING IN TOURIST AREA OF ATHENS (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) HOTEL COOK, FOTIS TRANGOS, SAYING: "Hotel owners are increasing their profits, and, all right, that's fine, we say good for them, but why are they reducing our income? Why are we (only) suffering in this crisis at a time when our sector is experiencing growth? Is this the growth that the government has envisioned, that it wants for the people?" (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) FORMER HOTEL WORKER WHO WAS LAID OFF, SOFIA FOTIADIOU, SAYING: "They are only thinking of profit, not the workers, not anyone. They see them as objects that they can exploit in order to make more money. They don't care about how people will survive and be able to support their families." VARIOUS OF TOURISTS WALKING ON PEDESTRIAN STREET IN TOURIST AREA OF ATHENS (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST PIETRO SCHETTINI, FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, U.S.A., SAYING: "If they are going on strike, it's because they are not getting paid enough maybe, so they need to be appreciated I guess, right? Since this is the big season for tourism." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST PAUL IANIRO FROM BOSTON, U.S.A., SAYING: "It could be tarnished, I mean the economy is already pretty vulnerable and stuff like that, so..." (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST MARY BREWER FROM THE U.K., SAYING: "Oh, I always support the workers, even if it means a little inconvenience for me, they have the right to decent wages." VARIOUS OF TOURISTS WALKING PAST SOUVENIR SHOPS
- Embargoed: 3rd August 2017 13:50
- Keywords: Greece tourism hotel workers labour issues economy reforms tourists
- Location: ATHENS, GREECE
- City: ATHENS, GREECE
- Country: Greece
- Topics: Budget/Taxation/Revenue,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016QIUNGN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Greek hotel employees walked off the job on Thursday (July 20) in a 24-hour nation-wide strike in the middle of the tourist season to protest against government labour reforms.
Workers, joined by restaurant employees, rallied in central Athens, marching past tourist sites and spray-painting slogans on the offices of the country's tourism confederation.
Greece relies on tourism to emerge from a huge debt crisis and summer is its peak tourist season. The sector accounts for about 18 percent of Greece's economic output and employs a fifth of its workforce.
Some tourists sympathized with the workers while others said it was inappropriate for the strike to be taking place in the middle of the tourist season.
"It could be tarnished," said American tourist Paul Ianiro about the strike, referring to the country's image.
The workers' union is protesting reforms that will open the sector to flexible forms of work, a lower minimum wage, and will weaken labour agreements. But union officials said the turnout for the strike was low, particularly in Athens. Protests and strikes by unions to protect labour rights have been frequent, although waning in participation, due to austerity fatigue.
The leftist government was elected in 2015 on a mandate to increase wages and protect labour rights. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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