Greek tourism provides jobs for refugees, immigrants and asylum seekers

SolidarityNow's study, Asylum Seekers and Refugees' Experiences in Tourism, found that the tourism sector is one of the main areas of the economy where refugees and migrants find work.

The general manager of SolidarityNow told APE-MPE that the majority of study participants (74%) were employed in low-skilled positions or as support staffFor example, they worked as maids, cleaners, assistant cooks, waiters, and some as cooks and administrators.

The majority (60%) worked in large companies: 38% were employed in enterprises with 50 to 199 employees and 22% with more than 200 employees. 64% worked for more than 5 months in the regions of Central Macedonia, Thrace and the Aegean islands (66%).

The results showed that 94% of respondents had an employment contract with benefits corresponding to the collective labor agreement in relation to the tourism sector. However, as usual, violations of labor legislation have also been identified.

According to a Solidarity Now survey, 38% of employees said they received compensation or some portion of it in cash. At the same time, 44% said that they worked 2-6 hours a day more, for which 80% of them received benefits. In this case, it turns out that working hours exceed those established by law without paying for legal overtime hours. In addition, the responses revealed a difference between the earnings of women and men: 56% of women received 801-1001 euros, and 68% of men received more than 1001 euros.

The main difficulty in completing tasks during work for half of the participants was minimal knowledge of the Greek language or its complete absence. Ms. Polena emphasizes in an interview, quotes newsbeast.gr:

“When you can communicate in the language of the country you live and work in, new opportunities open up. The ability to communicate with colleagues and employers facilitates day-to-day contacts and creates the conditions for more easily developing trusting relationships in the work environment. Knowledge of the language is important for understanding the labor rights and responsibilities of employees. Through the work we do at SolidarityNow, we see that language truly works as an important tool for inclusion. And this is because when you feel comfortable expressing yourself, not only your professional development improves, but also your sense of belonging.”

The reasons why some employees (3 cases) left their jobs were poor working conditions, low wages or incidents of verbal abuse.

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