The number of workers killed in the first quarter of 2025 reached a four-year high, with at least 51 fatalities, according to Efimerida ton Sintakton. This figure marks a 25-year record for worker deaths during this four-year period, according to the General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE). [1], [2].
The data comes just days after two additional workplace accidents in the tourism sector on Saturday: a 59-year-old chambermaid was killed when a reclining bed detached and fell on her at a hotel in Santorini, while a 65-year-old man was crushed by a laundry press at a hotel in Rhodes.
Authorities cite several causes, including workplace pressure, increased work intensity due to recent labor laws, lack of protective measures, the failure to reinstate Collective Labor Agreements, and the absence of inspections due to understaffing at the Labor Inspection Body, with the number of inspectors being 50% lower than in 2000.
Most accidents occur in: retail (excluding vehicles) (22.8%), accommodations (9.3%), public administration and defense (9.3%), and healthcare (6.4%).
It is worth noting that in Greece, unlike in other countries, occupational diseases are not recorded, despite accounting for 98% of workplace deaths across Europe, compared to 2% caused by workplace accidents.
According to the GSEE, most accidents occur in the following sectors: retail (excluding vehicles) (22.8%), accommodations (9.3%), public administration and defense and compulsory social insurance (9.3%), human health activities (6.4%), construction (6%), wholesale trade (excluding vehicles) (5.3%), and the food industry (4.9%).
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