Athens, Greece – 20 July 2017 –
Greek hotel and restaurant employees walked off the job on Thursday to protest against labour reforms prescribed by the country’s official creditors in exchange for bailout funds that help Greece stay afloat, Reuters reported.
The country, which has signed up to three bailouts with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund since 2010, relies on tourism to emerge from a huge debt crisis. Summer is its peak tourist season.
With about 25 million people visiting the country annually, the sector accounts for about 18 percent of Greece’s economic output and employs a fifth of its workforce. “Tourism grows on workers’ backs,” read a poster in Athens.
Hundreds of workers rallied in central Athens as part of the 24-hour strike against legislated reforms allowing flexible forms of work and a lower minimum wage for young employees and weakening sectoral wage agreements.