Companies pay the price for illegal employment
Ten small enterprises will be ordered to close temporarily for illegally employing foreign nationals, according to decisions signed by Deputy Labor Minister Vassilis Kegeroglou on Wednesday.
The companies concerned are small, operate in the service sector and include cafeterias and fuel stations. They were found to be employing a total of 20 foreigners without the necessary work permits, as discovered by the Labor Inspection Squad following checks.
However, working conditions are deteriorating for Greeks, too, with the latest examples being the approximately 300 staff at the call center of telecommunications provider Hellas Online (HOL): They have been told they can either be sacked and rehired after signing new contracts with a private firm that will undertake the call center’s operation or lose their jobs altogether. Those who do sign a new contract will suffer a 20 percent pay cut after the first three months and have to undergo evaluation in view of a further staff reduction.
