Migrant reception center staff protest over conditions
A day after regional authorities threatened to close down the overcrowded and unsanitary Moria reception center for migrants on Lesvos, employees have stepped up protests over conditions at the facility.
Giorgos Matthaiou, who is vice president of the national union of reception center workers, told reporters that a rally outside the Moria center on Monday was “a warning protest.”
“We have a lot of problems, chiefly overcrowding,” he said, noting that the government has “no plan” to tackle the situation.
Workers at centers on Chios and Kos, which also host thousands of migrants, have staged similar protests, he added.
Yiannis Balpakakis, the official in charge of the Moria camp, said the transfer of migrants to the Greek mainland – aimed at easing overcrowding – has failed to make an impact as the island receives dozens of new arrivals from neighboring Turkey every day.
