Greek farmers are waiting impatiently 7,000 Albanian land workers as the fruits and vegetables do not wait

 Greek farmer in corn field (archive)

 The green light from the government for the arrival in Greece of 7,000 seasonal land workers from Albania, who will work in agricultural crops, is expected by producers in the Macedonian plain, as the countdown to early morning fruit harvesting has begun.

"It is vital for the Greek government to activate the plan we have drawn up so that the procedures for the arrival of the 7,000 land workers from Albania can begin immediately," Christos Giannakakis, president of the National Inter-Professional Organization for Nuclear and Pear Industries, told to media.

"The margins are narrowing, the trees are not waiting. Work will begin in the fields in early May, otherwise, productions and foreign exchange will be lost and our country's credibility with its customers abroad will be damaged," he said, adding that "the Albanian side has already agreed to open its borders fo land workers to enter Greece".

As he said, the interprofessional organization has already sent a plan to the relevant ministries with 11 proposals aimed at controlling seasonal land workers who will arrive in Greece, mainly to harvest fruit in Imathia and Pella, but also to take health measures to prevent the possibility of the virus transmission.

As Mr. Giannakakis characteristically stated, the origin of land workers in Greece comes by 90% from Albania and the relationship of these farmers - employers are perennial.

The producers suggest, among other things, that due to the coronavirus, the workers should be transported to Greece from Albania by bus, at the border a passport check and a test for Covid-19, and then undergo a new health check at the hospitals of Veria and Edessa. Until the results are published, the entrants will be accommodated in already agreed accommodation.

Meanwhile, the MPs of Imathia and Pella of ND, Lazaros Tsavdaridis and Dionysis Stamenitis, undertook a joint initiative to resolve the issue of the entry of foreign seasonal workers through land, but also in a relevant telephone conversation with Deputy Minister Nikos Hardlias.

They call for the immediate implementation of the above-mentioned plan for the arrival of workers, noting: "Unfortunately, the fruits on the trees are not waiting, they have their own times. It is with them that we must all synchronize in coordination and with responsibility towards all the citizens of the country".

At a recent meeting of the Association of Outdoor Workers of the prefecture of Imathia, the daily wage of land workers was decided and set at 30 euros. The decision was unanimous and union representatives called on their colleagues to implement it.