I do not know how things look from where you stand, but to me, the communication games are becoming increasingly obvious. People make a demand, someone in a position of responsibility—or irresponsibility—throws out a proposal pointing in precisely the opposite direction, and suddenly we find ourselves fighting merely to preserve the rights we have already secured.
Seasonal workers are calling for unemployment benefits to be extended to five or six months. In the midst of this debate, the government spokesperson suggested limiting the benefit to two months, proposed redirecting the money to businesses and linked his proposal to the next elections. The responsible minister responded that this was his personal opinion and rightly pointed out that unemployment benefit is a contributory entitlement, funded by the workers’ own social security contributions.
Pavlos Marinakis, however, was not speaking as a private citizen. He is the government spokesperson and Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister. I do not know whether there is a disagreement within the government, whether this is a “good cop, bad cop” routine, or whether they simply dropped a bombshell to test public reaction. What I do know is that, until yesterday, we were demanding six months of unemployment support for seasonal workers; today, we risk feeling relieved simply because it may not be reduced to two.
The economy of the Dodecanese is seasonal. The very nature of tourism creates an unavoidable disruption in the labour market during the winter months. When the tourist season ends, the jobs available throughout the summer disappear. It is not that employees refuse to work; the work itself ceases to exist.
The cost of any decision to reduce unemployment support would be borne both by workers and by businesses themselves. Without financial support during the winter, skilled employees are forced to move to major cities or abroad, with no guarantee that they will return for the following season. The pandemic has already shown us how dearly the tourism sector pays for the loss of human capital. Just a few years later, we now find ourselves recruiting workers from third countries.
It is impossible for policymakers not to understand that when a worker is forced to leave, their family often leaves with them. The islands consequently lose permanent residents, the demographic problem becomes more severe and the country’s regions grow weaker.
And we are not talking about just any part of Greece. The Dodecanese is a driving force of the country’s tourism economy, while also standing on the borders of both Greece and Europe.
If the government has an alternative model capable of guaranteeing employment throughout the winter months, it has a duty to present it. Otherwise, the minister’s statement may be noted, but the demand remains exactly the same: seasonal workers’ unemployment benefits must be extended to five or six months—not reduced to two.
