The president of the Federation of Technical Enterprises Employees Associations of Greece (OSETEE), Andreas Stoimenidis, sated in an announcement that 15 workers have lost their lives in the first month of 2025, compared to 4 deaths in January of the previous year.

Mr. Stoimenidis commented that there has been an “excess beyond any reasonable limit in the number of workers who have lost their lives in the workplace since 1 January, reflecting the escalating deterioration of occupational health and safety in recent years.” 

Full statement by Mr Stoimenidis:

“We have witnessed an excess beyond any reasonable limit in the number of workers who have lost their lives in the workplace since 1 January, reflecting the escalating deterioration of occupational health and safety in recent years.

Specifically, by the end of January—a month generally considered to have fewer incidents—15 workers have already lost their lives. In contrast, there have been 4 deaths in January 2024.

Similarly, in January 2023, 11 people died at work, while in the same period in 2022, there were 4.

It is estimated that in 2024, close to 150 people lost their lives in workplace accidents in Greece.

The data is being processed and will be made public in February.

Although the numbers are terrifying, the imbalance in labour law against workers, the failure to reinstate collective labour agreements, the increased job flexibility and intensification imposed by recent labour laws, and the lack of attention to occupational health and safety issues have all led to the current, entirely predictable situation.

It is important to recall that Occupational Health and Safety principles have been adopted by the International Labour Organisation of the United Nations as a fundamental human right—a right that is clearly not being respected by the relevant political leadership and authorities.

We have repeatedly stated our willingness to collaborate in order to help redress this inhumane situation.

The issue must be prioritized and addressed at the highest political level.”

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