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13-Hour Shifts Spur Underreported Worker Deaths in Greece

5/2/2026

25 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Data say Greece’s work-related deaths may be three to four times the 51 reported by the labour ministry in 2023.
A law allowing up to 13-hour shifts and excluding many sectors from statistics is linked to higher migrant fatalities in construction, agriculture and tourism.
Only about 20 % of Greek workers have collective wage agreements—far below the EU-mandated 80 %—as EU data show incomes fell one-third since 2009, with wages lagging inflation.

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Story summary

Data say Greece’s work-related deaths may be three to four times the 51 reported by the labour ministry in 2023.
A law allowing up to 13-hour shifts and excluding many sectors from statistics is linked to higher migrant fatalities in construction, agriculture and tourism.
Only about 20 % of Greek workers have collective wage agreements—far below the EU-mandated 80 %—as EU data show incomes fell one-third since 2009, with wages lagging inflation.