A new serious work accident in RIVULIS-EURODRIP Company was added to the dozens more that have taken place since the beginning of the year in the specific company in Greece. We forward you the Press Release of the Union of workers in RIVULIS-EURODRIP Greece.

“On Tuesday 24/7/18, a colleague was injured when a machine smashed the thumb of his left hand, resulting in the need for surgery.

This phenomenon highlights once again the serious problem of accidents at work. For all these, they were not because of “bad timing” or “human error”. They are the result of shortcomings in safety measures and intensification of work expressed in many ways every day. Examples are that inside the RIVULIS-EURODRIP Factory in Greece there are:

• No breaks in production

• Staff shortages that force everyone to run endlessly by doing two or three people’s work

• Pressure by the company to do as much work as possible in less and less time.

In addition it has to be added, the lack of measures for the heat stress of workers during the summer months, which aggravates the situation and increases the risk of accidents at work. It is characteristic that a day before the colleague’s accident, a check was carried out by the Technical Inspectorate, where a number of deficiencies were found in the proper ventilation of the parts of the production, which significantly increases the occupational risk as a whole but especially during high temperature periods.

From all of the above, it is once again apparent that the RIVULIS-EURODRIP company, despite all the points and demands made by the Union, does not proceed to essential measures that will ensure our health and physical integrity because it considers them COST that does not earn them PROFIT. It is the absolute and exclusive responsibility of the company to ensure safe conditions of work. The Union has highlighted a number of issues concerning health and safety at work. We do not negotiate our life, health and integrity!! We cannot risk our lives each time we pass the factory doors!

This action of the Union for the protection of the workers’ lives has triggered the reaction of the company that tries in every way to attack the Union and intimidate the workers so as not to claim humane working conditions and protection of our rights. This was also the purpose of the layoffs of the two members of the Union at the beginning of the month.

We should not stay with our arms crossed! We do not have to wait for our next colleague to be injured!

We demand:

• Cancelation of the 2 layoffs of Union members. The company to stop all anti-union practices and intimidation tactics against the workers

• Hiring of more workers, so as to stop intensification of work

• Health and Safety measures, as pointed by the Union, so as not to have more victims and accidents”

PAME calls the Unions to protest against the Company anti-union practices in all countries with facilities, offices, or factories of RIVULIS