Delivery workers’ union: “We will not work like camels in the desert”
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“For a week now, we have endured prolonged heat (38-41 degrees Celsius) while witnessing government communications that anger us. Everyone must learn the truth,” the committee stated.
During the week of 15-19 July, SBEOD intervened at the Ministry of Labour, meeting with Deputy Minister K. Karagounis. Despite these efforts, the ministry only issued a circular suspending outdoor work from 17-19 July between 12:00-17:00, excluding the period from 19-23 July, which prompted the unions to demand an immediate and comprehensive ministerial decision.
The union proposed a ministerial decision to set thermal stress limits at 38 degrees within a broader legislative framework. Unfortunately, the ministry’s response was limited to a three-day circular, which was publicised as a pro-labour measure but ultimately neglected workers’ health and safety by setting impractical criteria for stopping work.
Delivery workers from efood, one of the largest food delivery companies in Greece, reported working under extreme conditions, comparing themselves to camels in the desert. “We are working relentlessly, like camels in the desert. But unlike camels, we have human reason and mind. The Ministry and the company are responsible for our physical strain after so many consecutive days of working under these conditions,” the statement read. Delivery people described working in temperatures reaching 100 degrees Celsius on road surfaces, with inadequate protective gear.
Efood’s announcement on 18 July to suspend deliveries in central Athens from 12:00-17:00 due to high temperatures was criticised as a communication trick. Delivery people continued to work, accepting orders and closing shifts as usual. The company left individual workers to assess their ability to work, despite the intimidating climate created by previous dismissals.
The committee demanded that Efood pay wages for colleagues who stopped work during the heatwave and called for a ministry decision to prohibit employment under conditions exceeding 38 degrees Celsius without loss of income or insurance. They also urged the Ministry and SEPE to ensure compliance with health and safety measures, provide suitable break spaces, and include delivery workers in the category of hazardous occupations.
The statement concluded, “We refuse to continue working under adverse conditions. We are not expendable.”
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