On January 30th, fruit and vegetable packing plants, warehouses, greenhouses, and other productive facilities all over Greece are expected to come to a halt, as a nationwide 24-hour strike in the food industry will take place on that date. The strike has been called by the Greek Federation of Workers in the Food, Milk, and Drinks Industry and is backed by local branches all over Greece. Workers are demanding a Collective Labor Agreement (CLA), dictating a minimum wage of 940 euros for 2025, a five-day workweek with an 8-hour shift, hygiene and safety measures, and a series of allowances.
Larisa, in central Greece, is one of the most important fruit and vegetable growing regions, specializing in apples and pears, among other products. It has about 40 large sorting and conservation companies, two of which belong to companies with international productive activity. Mr. Kleanthis Kaliampas, president of the local food workers' branch, says: "We have not had a CLA for 15 years now. There were talks between our federation and the industries' association from April to November 2024, but the employers were constantly rejecting our demands. Therefore, we decided to call for a nationwide strike. Since the negotiations began last year, we also demand a retroactive wage increase to 890 euros for 2024."
Workers are also set to strike in Achaia, where at least 20 large companies are dedicated to strawberries, lemons, and potatoes, among other products. "People here work for 3-4 months in hotels and the remaining months in food companies. Among them, there are many immigrants from Bangladesh. Lately, workers from Nepal have also started arriving because of interstate agreements. All these people work under various regimens. We demand the CLA to be mandatory for everyone, no matter where they come from, what their specific task is, or the period of time they work in this sector. We also demand proper housing conditions for the immigrant workers. They reside in literally despicable conditions," highlights Mr. Yorgos Stathopoulos, president of the local food workers' district.
The upcoming strike will also affect Imathia and Pella, two key regions for the Greek fruit and vegetable trade, as more than 100 packing and exporting companies are gathered there, dealing not only with locally grown products, such as kiwifruit, but also with products grown in southern Greece, such as citrus. Mr. Dimitris Digkas, president of the local food workers' union, highlights the seasonality of the work, adding to the demands of the strike the unemployment benefit registration for all workers, without any terms or conditions. "If employers do not satisfy our demands, we are ready to escalate our actions. We do not take a step back from what we need and from our rights," the syndicalist stresses.