It is always impressive how Greece manages to break tourism records while putting the very people who make those records possible under financial strain. This week, Lasithi MP and PASOK’s Tourism spokesperson, Katerina Spyridaki, marched the concerns of hotel and catering workers straight into Parliament—because, ostensibly, someone has to remind the government that workers are not disposable décor for press releases.
“Our goal is to restore the hotelier profession to its rightful glory and give this world a future,” she said, making the radical suggestion that hotel staff deserve a future and not just sore feet.
The “Success Story” Nobody Wants to Star In
Behind the glossy stats of Greece’s so-called success story lurks a workplace horror show. The Federation of Catering and Tourism Workers (POEET) lists the problems like a bad Tripadvisor review:
- Nearly 80,000 unfilled jobs, leaving existing staff to carry the load and guests to wonder why “five-star service” looks more like a one-person show.
- Seasonal workers crammed into substandard housing, while resorts rake in record profits.
- Collective labor agreements treated as optional extras, not binding rules.
- Maternity benefits denied to seasonal women workers—because who would want a family in a sector already built on exhaustion?
- A Labor Inspectorate so understaffed that in some tourist hotspots, inspections are basically folklore.
Workers’ Modest Demands (Seemingly Too Much to Ask)
The list of requests reads like common sense, but in Greece, common sense is revolutionary:
- Extend unemployment benefits beyond the humiliating three-month “memorandum limit.”
- Guarantee decent housing for seasonal staff.
- Enforce labor contracts with penalties for violators.
- Reinstate severance pay and heavy/unhealthy work benefits.
- Cover maternity leave for seasonal women workers.
- Restore collective bargaining for the minimum wage.
- Protect the right to strike and unionize without government side-eye.
As Spyridaki put it: “Tourism is not just about numbers and records. It is about people… Without workers, there is no tourism. And it is time for the government to stop applauding and start taking action.“
Applause Is Cheap—Dignity Costs Real Money
Translation: enough with the ceremonial clapping every August when arrivals hit new highs. Workers cannot eat applause, and they cannot pay rent with “tourism competitiveness.”
If Greece actually wants to sustain its golden goose, it might consider feeding it something other than burnout. Because no matter how many ministers preen about “multiplying benefits for the economy,” the simple truth remains: without workers, there is no tourism.
