Greek firefighters are heroes in summer, unemployed in winter
Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Hundreds of Greek firefighters protested outside parliament in Athens, demanding permanent contracts.
- About one-quarter of the roughly 9,000 firefighters involved in fighting wildfires work only eight months a year and lose their jobs after the fire season.
- A proposed recruitment age limit of 30 has added to concerns among seasonal firefighters, who say injuries can jeopardize reemployment.
Greek firefighters spend the summer battling thousands of forest fires, then face unemployment when the danger subsides. Hundreds gathered outside parliament in Athens to protest seasonal contracts and demand permanent jobs.
They squeeze us like lemons, and then we are useless to them. As long as they need us, we are heroes.
Jorgos Celepis, president of the seasonal firefighters’ union, said firefighters are treated as heroes only while the state needs them. “They squeeze us like lemons, and then we are useless to them. As long as they need us, we are heroes,” he said. “When the fires decrease, they simply discard us.”
Greece has a centralized national professional fire service rather than Germany’s extensive network of volunteer brigades. Of roughly 9,000 firefighters actively involved in fighting fires, about a quarter hold exclusively seasonal contracts. They work for eight months each year, with their contracts ending once the fire threat passes.
When the fires decrease, they simply discard us.
Firefighter Georgia said she loves the work but struggles with the insecurity. “Every year I am stressed about whether they will hire me again. It exhausts me psychologically,” she said. Her colleague Drosos said injured seasonal firefighters may not be rehired the following year because the law provides no protection in such cases.
Every year I am stressed about whether they will hire me again. It exhausts me psychologically.
Celepis argued that firefighters could remain useful outside the fire season by carrying out controlled burning in firebreaks to prevent future fires. Instead, he said, they receive 600 euros net in unemployment benefits for three months and nothing in the fourth month. Tensions have grown further after the government announced plans to recruit many new firefighters while setting a maximum age of 30 for applicants.
The problem is that if we get injured, there is a strong chance they will not hire us again next year.
About this summary
Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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