“The movement is gaining momentum. During our first strike in February, 3,000 people followed us. Now there are almost 10,000 of us.”, rejoices Nikos Spyrelis, member of the Union of Telecommunications and IT Workers (Setip) and vice-president of the office within the French multinational Teleperformance. On March 13, employees of the four major telephone platforms in Greece (Teleperformance, Webhelp, TTEC and Foundever) were called for the third time since February to mobilize to demand salary increases, the reintroduction of collective agreements (suppressed in Greece during the financial crisis of 2010-2018) and a generalization of permanent contracts while the rule in these companies is the multiplication of fixed-term contracts. In Teleperformance’s seven hubs across Greece, the platforms provide customer services for multinationals such as Apple, Google and Airbnb in several languages.
In February, a small victory was recorded by employees with the creation of two union offices at Teleperformance and Webhelp. Teleperformance Greece has since filed a legal action. She believes that Setip cannot represent the company’s employees because it is not in the telecommunications sector but in the services sector.
For Nikos Spyrelis, the increase in salaries, which have been unchanged since 2010 when Greece was hit by austerity measures imposed by the country’s creditors (European Union, European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund), is necessary. “The average salary in the company is around 850 euros net, and 30% of employees receive 780 euros. With inflation and the increase in the cost of living in Greece over the last three years, this is becoming untenable! », he is indignant. In 2022, inflation in Greece reached almost 10% – and was still at 3.7% in December 2023.
Recruitment abroad
Teleperformance has continued to grow in Greece. In 2018, it had around 7,000 employees. Now it is the fourth largest employer in Greece with more than 12,000 employees, 45% of whom come from abroad. The company has been recruiting in recent years in the Maghreb countries for the French and Arabic sections. After hiring candidates who have taken remote tests, the company takes care of everything and issues new recruits a special visa allowing them to work only in call centers. “ Our North African colleagues often find themselves taken hostage, because they cannot leave to find work elsewhere for fear of losing their papers to remain legally in Greece. »notes Nikos Spyrelis.
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