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This is our weekly round-up from Greece.
 

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And now, the news from this week.

The government made an agreement with hoteliers to send orphans above 16 to work in hotels. They called this: “smooth de-institutionalisation.”

Huge increases in basic commodities prices are making life even harder in the country.

Great Greek composer and political figure Mikis Theodorakis’ funeral turned into a mini anti-government protest, with the PM proving incapable of accepting social discontent.
 

If you are an orphan in Greece, you’ll probably be sent to work before you finish school.

An inconceivable agreement has been signed between Greece’s Labour Ministry and the Hotel Chamber of the country, allowing for the employment in hotels of children over 16 years old who live in institutions and care facilities for minors.

More specifically, the agreement provides for:

-Employment of children over 16 years old who live in child care facilities, in hotel units.

-Employment of people with disabilities in hotel units, with the current Unemployment Agency (OAED) programs covering their labour costs.

-Coverage of material needs of the most vulnerable as well as of the care facilities.

According to Deputy Labour Minister Domna Michailidou, this agreement would assist the “smooth de-institutionalization of children” while it safeguards “social solidarity.” The Hellenic Hotel Chamber president Alexandros Vasilikos also made flowery statements on “solidarity and social contribution being integral to the Greek hotels’ DNA.”

As it should have been expected, this move triggered stormy reactions by the opposition and by hotel employees’ unions.

“This is just over the top. After the anti-labor Hatzidakis’ law, which institutionalizes overtime work, and the law of supplementary social insurance privatization, the government is now officially promoting child labor for minors who are under state protection in closed care facilities. With this unbelievable move they enhance cheap labor in the touristic sector,” SYRIZA stated in a press release. “Minors should be going to school,” they added, emphasizing that this is a revival of Queen Frederika’s “social care” model. Queen Frederica, who was German and was Queen of Greece between 1947-1967, has been one of the most hated figures in the country. She was considered to be the mastermind of literally abducting children from partisan ex-fighters and persecuted communists’ families and imprisoning them in “reform” camps or selling them in the US.

KINAL leader Fofi Gennimata, sharply criticized the government for this agreement, speaking among others of “cheap and discredited labor.”

KNE, the youth department of the Communist Party KKE, issued a sharp statement speaking among others of “slaves in the 21st century” and of “exploitation of children in institutions.”

“We will not leave the hotels’ dish-washing rooms to be filled with minors,” the Catering & Tourism Employees Panhellenic Federation stated in a press release. They demanded explanations from the Labour Ministry pointing out the lack of legislation for such a “collaboration,” the need for the guardian’s consent for the minors’ employment as well as the absence of a framework defining exactly the terms of employment of minors in the hotel industry. They warned that they will use all legal means to prevent child labor if this is really what this agreement is about.

The law in Greece stipulates that children under the age of 16 are not permitted to work. Part-time work for over 16 years old is allowed, provided that the parent’s/guardian’s consent is given in writing. Thus, in this case, a number of serious questions arise:

Who is going to give consent? The institution?

Why did the government decide to apply this to the most vulnerable of the children, the orphans that obviously include refugee unaccompanied minors?

Why did the government provide only for unskilled labor “experience” and did not give other options? 

How could it be safeguarded that a child would have the right to refuse work over school with no repercussions?

This agreement would most possibly oblige the most vulnerable minors to unskilled labor - minors that the state has the responsibility to protect with all means and provide them with education and/or job training until they are 18.

Illustrative of the government’s mentality is ND MP’s Konstantinos Maraveyas statements. In an effort to defend the agreement, Maraveyas actually suggested during a TV interview that “all children of the world” should be provided with some labor experience and that this provides a kind of “career guidance”: “I think it’s about children living in institutions, who should find their way to re-integrate... These children should obtain some experience... We didn’t say that they should work or strive.”
 

Spikes in prices give nightmares to struggling Greeks.

Like the decade-long crisis exacerbated by the pandemic was not enough, it was reported this week that prices in basic commodities and services in Greece have risen and will rise considerably, with the government calling upon “international developments” to justify it and claiming the increases will only be temporary.

Consumers already pay more for electricity, as they have shouldered the rise in wholesale price, which has skyrocketed by 155%. As to fuel, according to reports, gas is already up by 17% and diesel by 19% since the beginning of the year. Heating gas is expected to rise to 1 euro per liter, while last year started from 0.798 euros/liter. It should be taken into account that a special tax is imposed on fuel in Greece - and its reduction is up to the government.

Basic food prices are also on the rise - like meat, fish, oil, fresh vegetables, and fruit. Bread prices could rise by up to 25%, as bakers say they are unable to absorb higher production costs as a result of higher prices in flour, oil, and electricity.

Coffee prices are about to skyrocket, and a cup of coffee could even come to cost up to 5 euros. Prolonged drought followed by frost in Brazil has harmed the coffee trees and has led to a 550,000 tonnes deficit in the market in combination with strict Covid19 restrictions in also major coffee producer Vietnam is said to be blamed for the huge increase in coffee price.

However, it is very convenient to blame solely “international developments” for the high cost of living in Greece. For example, people in the country were already paying a high price for coffee, more so since the SYRIZA government imposed a “special” tax on it and its products (at the beginning of 2017), ranging from 3 to 4 euros per kilo, something that brought an increase of 10-30% in consumer prices. So, simply enough, if there is an international price increase due to drought in Brazil, the government can at least ban its own -extravagant- tax.

Milk-based products are also facing price increases circa 20%, as livestock food prices have risen by 45% the last year.

Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis claimed these would be temporary increases until the market adjusts to the turbulence caused by the quarantines.

Our experience says that when prices in Greece go up, they never go down again.

PM Mitsotakis is expected to announce some alleviating measures in his keynote speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair, which begins this Saturday. These are expected to include a VAT reduction from 24% to 22% and from 13% to 11%.

It should be noted that Greece imposes high VAT on basic commodities like food -13%. “Non-basic” commodities -which for example include sanitary towels- are on 24% VAT.

By the way, we should mention that a police force of 5,000-5,500 policemen, along with drones, helicopters, and water cannons have been transferred to Thessaloniki to guard the PM and other officials.

As to the price hikes, the Greek Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) report on Friday came only to verify what people have already realized. According to their report, in August 2021 inflation rose by 1.9%. Huge increases in prices included natural gas (91%), heating fuel (28.9%) and fuel (17.4%). Fresh vegetables prices were up by 21.5%, lamb and goat by 21.5%, fish by 8%, olive oil by 7.1%, poultry by 4.5%, and cheese by 3.4%.

Main opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras made proposals as to how to handle price increases, emphasizing among others that Greece has for long now the most expensive electricity in the whole of Europe and that ”the golden boys who were appointed [in the National Electricity Company / DEI) with triple and quadruple wages to make it a sound business again, do not do their job properly.” Tsipras proposed among others that energy be subsidized and taxes on fuel and heating gas be lowered, while the allowances be extended.

Even the banks have expressed concern as a more expensive cost of living could lead to people leaving behind their debt obligations. It is worth reminding that the citizens risk seeing their first residence confiscated by the banks should they not be able to repay debts - thanks to the new monstrous insolvency law.
 

Mikis Theodorakis’ funeral turned into a mini political protest.

Such an unconventional figure as the great Greek composer and political activist Mikis Theodorakis could not have a conventional funeral procession.

As we had mentioned in our previous newsletter, after Theodorakis’s death, three-day national mourning was declared in Greece. Thousands of people came these three consecutive days to pay their respects to Theodorakis, who was laid in state at the Athens Cathedral, at the heart of the city.

Thousands gathered at the Cathedral also on Thursday afternoon to attend the funeral service. The silence was interrupted from time to time by people singing Mikis’ cherished songs.

Then political leaders and known artists started arriving. The crowd expressed their warmest applause for Theodorakis’ muse, the great singer Maria Farantouri. His friend for over 40 years Turkish composer Zulfu Livanelli and Swedish singer Aria Sagionma were also there as well as representatives from foreign embassies.

Some politicians were booed. The most noteworthy incident happened when Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived. It should be emphasized that this was probably the first time Mitsotakis came across a crowd he had not himself selected. The people then started shouting: “The people do not forget, Mitsotakis scumbag.” According to reliable reports, the chant started from some leftists but quickly spread across the square. The PM was also booed while leaving the ceremony.

It is worth noting that the “Mitsotakis scumbag” slogan bears a heavy historical reference that goes back to the father of the current PM, the late ex-PM Konstantinos Mitsotakis. In 1965, Mitsotakis (the father) defected and played a major role in the defection of many MPs from the democratically elected centrist George Papandreou government (an event that came to be named “Iouliana”) that led to the government’s fall. This fall effectively enhanced the Palace’s power (then Greece had a foreign-imposed king) along with political instability that finally led to the 1967 dictatorship.

Well, PM Mitsotakis reacted more or less as his father did then to this chant, when he explicitly showed his annoyance for it and more or less claimed that people expressing their anger like this is anti-democratic. As of now, the PM turned to the Communist Party leader Dimitris Koutsoumpas and said to him quite aggressively in front of the crowd: “Did you bring them to swear at me?” Koutsoumpas replied: “How is it my fault if people swear?”

It is worth noting that great personalities’ funerals in Greece have also in the past turned to a protest. The funeral of Nobel-awarded poet Giorgos Seferis during the dictatorship turned into a massive protest against the regime. Great poet Kostis Palamas’ funeral in 1943, amidst the war, when Greece was under an Axis-appointed government, turned into an act of resistance. This is not to draw direct analogies, but to point out that public discontent is often expressed during the farewell to figures that have always upheld humanistic, democratic ideals that are considered sold off by a regime.

Another thing that was considered an act of disrespect and made the Greek twitter go on fire was that Mitsotakis walked from the car to the Cathedral under an umbrella bearing the logo of an international luxurious hotel chain.

As for the funeral service, the President of Democracy Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and the Secretary-General of the Greek Communist party KKE Dimitris Koutsoumpas held the speeches at the tribute. Koutsoumpas’ speech was particularly emotional. “All your life you held the rifle in one hand and your scores in the other,” he said about the man who was a member of the Communist party most of his life and wanted to leave this world as a communist. “Without you, we would have been different.” He emphasized that Mikis “showed the power of the Greek people, the power of the peoples of the world” and proved that the people “can understand and integrate the highest arts of man, like art, poetry, and music, if only someone gives them the keys.”

People outside the Church applauded when Koutsoumpas said “Immortal, Mikis!”

“All together, all ages and generations we say farewell to the Greek and Ecumenic, the Patriot and the Internationalist Mikis Theodorakis, a symbol and a role model,” the President said.

People applauded when the coffin was taken out of the chapel.

From the Athens Cathedral, the body of Mikis Theodorakis was taken to the port of Piraeus. Following his last wish, Theodorakis would be buried at the cemetery of Galatas village by Chania on the island of Crete, next to the graves of his parents and brother.

The President of Democracy and the PM also attended the ceremony in Chania. The PM would say in his speech there: “Today we say goodbye to him the way he deserved. The last great Greek of the 20th century,” He added that his songs will be hummed and sung by “us, our children and our grandchildren.”

However, according to reports, the PM’s security attempted to arrest an elderly man outside the church, when some among the crowd booed Mitsotakis upon his arrival. SYRIZA MP Sia Anagnostopoulou verified the incident. According to the same reports, the alleged upcoming arrest was avoided due to the timely intervention of SYRIZA MPs.

This was most inappropriate at the funeral of a man who praised the struggles of the people.

Finally, in a very emotional atmosphere, apart from the politicians, Theodorakis’ family and friends, thousands of Cretans, and travelers on the island, accompanied him to his last home on Thursday. The crowd shouted “immortal” and the 96 men – as many as the years of the deceased – in traditional Cretan costumes sang traditional rizitika songs, traditional Cretan songs of mourning.

Despite proving mortal, Mikis actually passed to immortality.
 

Read.
 

Greece claimed eleven medals in the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Greece appoints Cypriot Christos Stylianides as Minister for Civil Protection: “Stylianides will be granted an honorable Greek nationality,” the spokesman said, adding that the new two ministers will be sworn-in on upcoming Friday. The appointment comes six days after the PM’s first choice, retired Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, a Defence Minister under the SYRIZA government, turned down the job, thus leading the cabinet reshuffle into a fiasco.

Coronavirus: On Friday 32 deaths, 378 intubated and 2,132 new cases were registered in Greece.

Mini Lockdown in Argolida, Evrytania; extension in 5 regional units (Covid-Map).

New measures from Monday for unvaccinated.

ECHR rejects request by Greek health workers against compulsory vaccination.

Cost of PCR and rapid tests to be capped from Sept. 13.

Athens Half Marathon to be dedicated to Theodorakis.

DNA confirms the identity of Romanian woman Monika buried under concrete.
 

Plan Ahead.
 

Classic Rock in Athens on September 25: Joe Lynn Turner of Deep Purple and Rainbow fame, and Dave Bickler, former vocalist for Survivor, join the Athens State Orchestra in a classical celebration of classic rock at the Herod Atticus Theater.

Forest Festival in Thessaloniki - To September 25: The National Theater of Northern Greece presents its seventh Forest Festival, a program of music, theater, dance and more unfolding at the Dasos (Forest) and Earth (Gis) theaters in Seikh Sou and Triandria, respectively, through September 25. Highlights include concerts featuring George Dalaras (September 9), Marinella and Mario Frangoulis (September 13) and the Villagers of Ioannina City (September 14), as well as Bost’s “Medea” (September 6) and Nikos Skalkottas’ popular ballet “The Sea” (September 25). For more details, visit ntng.gr.
 

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