Press Review June 27: Defenceless

Spending cuts have left the country defenceless in the face of forest fires; it’s 2004 all over again for Athens hotels; a new ‘slave trade’ is developing in the hospitality sector; the government reinstates the salaries only of the ‘pillars’ of the state; and the Health Ministry has yet to honour its commitment to cover the drug costs of the uninsured.

The Press Project
27 Ιουνίου 2014 | 10:24:39

	TA NEA Defenceless country The Memoranda have side effects on many levels. One of those is the combating of forest fires – with Greece turning into a defenceless country: firefighting aircraft are fewer, firefighters pay for equipment out of their own pockets and local councils spent the funds they had for preventative measures on other things. Following a wet winters in the – uncleared – forests there is a large amount of combustible material and the danger is a daily one. But the amounts available are half of those in 2011!! The government has a duty to press for European solidarity: for instance for payments for fire prevention measures to not count towards the deficit.
	IMERISIA 100% occupancy Its 2004 all over again for Athens hotels The Greek capital has attracted greater numbers of tourists in 2014. Contributing to this is the number of conferences that have been organised as well as the increase in the available airplane seats on flights to Athens which have been bolstered in the past few months. Hotels in the capital have an occupancy rate which approaches 100% The situation with the hotels is reminiscent of the Olympic Games of 2004. There are very few vacancies and it is now a ‘difficult task’ to find a room, even in areas that are not close to the historic center.
	RIZOSPASTIS ‘Slavers’ in Tourism offer free workers Revealing details about ‘agency’ conditions for hotels. Thousands of students from Greece and abroad travel in order to be hired in hotels for supposed ‘work experience’. ‘Agency workers’ cost employers three times less than a worker without experience who is paid according to contract rules. They work throughout the entire tourist season, without a daily schedule, for a plate of food, while they are treated like the property of the agency which is the middleman, promoting them to hotels. The operation of such companies and the services they provide are fully covered by European and Greek legislation. It is proof of the destruction of workplace relations and the generalised activity of ‘slavers’ which have the seal of approval of the policies of the anti-proletarian governments, the power of capital and the EU, with the aim of employers being to secure cheap labour.
	ELEFTHEROTYPIA There is money – but on a case by case basis Pay rises only for the ‘pillars of the state’ Following the judges, uniformed public sector workers will also receive wage increases according to the deputy finance minister Christos Staikouras yesterday in parliament. They are the ‘pillars’ of a country which has targeted the public sector, exhausting its strictness on the cleaners of the Finance Ministry and bleeds the self employed and private worker for whom pay cuts continue to be considered constitutional according to the judges. Aside from Mr Staikouras, in favour of the reinstatements of the salaries of the uniformed workers is defence minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and the secretary of New Democracy Andreas Papamikos. The government, via the judicial rulings, is proving that ‘there is money’ but is given selectively and at the expense of other social groups.
	EFSYN Health Ministry: an uninsured amendment The government's commitment to cover the drug treatment costs of the uninsured remain mere announcements. Despite the amendment which was voted on yesterday, the terms and conditions must be established by a ministerial decision. The amount provided for is less than the average pharmaceutical spending but secures the profits of the drug companies.