Most employees in Greece view working conditions as bad, feel they have worsened in the last five years, are unhappy with their workload and are the most dissatisfied with their work-life balance in the European Union, a Eurobarometer survey on working conditions has found.
Eight out of ten people (82 per cent) in Greece describe their working conditions as ‘bad’, the highest rate in the European Union, where the average is 43 per cent, according to the survey, which was released a few days ago.
In almost all categories in the survey on working conditions – defined as working time, work organisation, health and safety at work, employee representation and relation with the employer – Greek respondents gave the least positive answers, reflecting widespread discontent in the workplace.
The survey found that Greece is the only country where fewer than half of all working respondents (38 per cent) are satisfied with their current working conditions. Three in five (62 per cent) said they were ‘dissatisfied’, a rate far above the EU average of 23 per cent.
Moreover, 88 per cent – again the highest rate in the 28-member bloc – said working conditions had deteriorated in the last five years.
The report also found that 38 per cent of Greeks are dissatisfied with their working hours, again the highest rate in the EU, where the average is 19 per cent.
While 72 per cent of Greek employees expressed themselves as ‘satisfied’ with how interesting their workplace tasks are, that again was the lowest rate in the European Union, where the average is 87 per cent.
Just over half (51 per cent) of Greek workers said they were unhappy with their workload, again the highest rate in the EU.
Only 62 per cent of Greek workers felt they had workplace autonomy, which was the lowest rate in all 28 member states.
The report found that Greece was the only member state where a majority of workers (54 per cent) are dissatisfied with their work-life balance.
Greek employees are also the least happy in the way their opinion is taken into account when decisions are being made about their work, with only 58 per cent saying they are satisfied.
While at least 70 per cent of the working population in all other member states said they are satisfied with health and safety at their current job, in Greece that figure was 53 per cent. Greek employees are also the least likely to have been consulted about health and safety issues in the workplace in the last year, with only a quarter saying they had, compared to an EU average of 62 per cent.
The report also found that 82 per cent of employees in Greece work full time, above the EU average of 76 per cent.
Socio-demographic analysis shows 15-24 year olds are the most likely to be with a temporary contract (31 per cent vs 9 per cent-18 per cent of older age groups.
The survey did not include questions about wages and pay. Last December, the Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) said that one in every two companies was not paying its staff on time.
Source: enetenglish
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