In a cycle of intensive consultations with the aim of reaching an agreement on the working conditions of distributors on online platforms, the trade unions and the employer side enter, under the auspices of the Department of Labor Relations of the Ministry of Labor, with a target of the end of January 2023. At the same time, after the decision to start the dialogue, the distributors unanimously decided to end their strike, after nine days of mobilization.
The first meeting between the parties involved took place today, following an invitation by the Director of the Department, Antis Apostolos, at the offices of the Labor Relations Department. The meeting, which lasted almost three hours, was attended by representatives of the unions and the striking distributors, as well as representatives from various distribution platforms, as well as some of the middlemen who employ the distributors.
The atmosphere was positive during today's first meeting, as Haralambos Augusti said speaking to the KYPE on behalf of the Greek Greek Federation, adding that this gives rise to optimism that an agreement will be reached within the timetable set. Mr. Augusti explained that the working conditions that are expected to be agreed upon will concern the workers in the sector as a whole and not just in one company. Answering a related question, Mr. Augusti explained that at this stage there is no request to change the employment regime with intermediaries, but the aim is to ensure correct employment conditions, in terms of wages, hours, etc.
He also noted that within the next ten days there will be an exchange of documents between the employers' side and the trade unions, through the Ministry of Labor, regarding the requests and the current working conditions of the distributors. “The working conditions of these people are a sensitive point,” Mr. Augusti pointed out, speaking to KYPE, “since the great majority of them are from third countries, and we must be very careful, because we risk being accused of other things, since it is mainly for students or asylum seekers”, as he said.
Meanwhile, as PEO states in its announcement, after the striking distributors were informed of the results of the meeting at the Department of Labor Relations, in view of the start of a “instituted dialogue with a timetable for the definitive resolution of the problem, with the aim of regulating the labor rights of the workers of the sector”, as noted in the announcement, they unanimously decided to end the strike.
