EFFAT expresses full solidarity and support with the Greek colleagues from POEET, the Panhellenic Federation of workers in Food and Tourism sectors.
The general strike taking place in Greece tomorrow is a powerful call for action over the declining purchasing power of working people caused by low pay and sky-rocketing rents and prices.
The average salary for a full-time worker in Greece last year was €17,013, equivalent to levels during the peak of the debt crisis in 2014-2015.
Between 2015 and 2023, Greece recorded the largest decrease in real wages (-8.3%) among EU countries and was one of the only EU member states where real gross disposable income of households in 2023 was lower than in 2009.
The situation for hospitality workers in Greece is particularly challenging with a high level of precarious work, unrecorded working hours and poor wages.
The dismantling of the country’s collective bargaining system has been key to the decline, with the percentage of workers covered falling from 100% to 14% since 2000. Collective bargaining agreements currently being signed at sectoral level are then not implemented leaving millions of workers without protection.
The Greek government should choose the high road to competitiveness investing in strategic sectors of the economy such as tourism, promoting quality job creation and the strengthening of collective bargaining rights. The Government should accelerate the pro-cess of transposition and implementation of the minimum wage directive that requires all member states to draw up an action plan to increase collective bargaining coverage to at least 80%, as well as ensuring minimum wages are adequate.
The Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE), which organises tomorrow’s strike, is calling for the government to re-establish the national general collective agreement framework that was abolished by the Troika.
The EFFAT General Assembly for the Tourism sector meeting on 8 April 2025 fully supports POEET and the Confederation GSEE, as well as with all workers in Greece who are taking to the streets today to demand a pay rise and stronger collective bargaining coverage. It is not acceptable that Greek workers still have to pay the dramatic consequences of the Troika decisions of over 10 years ago.
EFFAT stands by them in solidarity and wish success to their fight!
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Find the statement here: EFFAT Solidarity with POEET and Greek Workers Striking for Their Future
