Food and beverage workers across Greece staged a nationwide strike and rallies on Tuesday, demanding stronger health and safety protections in the workplace following the deadly explosion at the Violanta biscuit manufacturing plant last week.
The nationwide action was called by the sector’s federation, which said the mobilization responds to what it described as an “employer crime” at the factory and highlights broader safety gaps in the industry.
In a statement, the federation said unions are escalating their fight for stricter health and safety measures “so that workers return home alive and healthy to their families.” It argued that serious workplace incidents are preventable and blamed what it called employer negligence driven by profit.
The federation said it is outraged by what it sees as major shortcomings in safety measures, claiming that the pursuit of higher profit margins often comes at the expense of worker protection. It also criticized working conditions that include six-day workweeks, shifts lasting up to 13 hours, intensified workloads and flexible arrangements that workers say create insecurity and fear of dismissal.
“Our duty is to overturn this situation so workplaces stop being minefields and we stop mourning colleagues,” the statement said.
Rallies across the country
Strike rallies were scheduled in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece’s two largest cities, as well as in many regional centers.
In Athens, workers gathered at 10 a.m. outside the Labor Ministry, while in Thessaloniki a rally was planned at the workplace safety and health inspection office.
Additional protests were organized in several cities, including Larissa, Patras, Ioannina, Kalamata, Lamia, Nafplio, Chalcis, Chania and Kavala, among others. In some locations, rallies took place at local labor inspection offices, while in others they were held at city squares or labor centers.
In the northern city of Drama, workers planned an early-morning gathering outside a factory gate and an evening rally in the city center.
Unions say the strike aims to pressure employers and authorities to adopt and enforce stronger safety rules, as well as to improve overall working conditions in the food and beverage industry.
