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Viktoria Mindova

Employees at WIND Hellas- the second biggest mobile operator in the Greek market- are experiencing problems. Since the beginning of 2009, around 100 employees have been dismissed, forced to resign or their contracts have not been renewed. Only since the end of July, fifty people were left unemployed. Since the telecommunication company has around 1800 employees, the number of those laid off does not exceed the legal limit, which for a privately held company is up to 2 per cent of all employees.

However, low-level employees are not the only ones are suffering from the current crisis. Among those that had to leave the company are also managers at medium and medium-high levels. Discontent among the workers is causing the fact that during the last three years, salaries and bonuses on top-level saw a significant increase, while €50 grocery-shopping coupons for the personnel have been cut-off.  Another wrongdoing observed in the company is the policy of employing worker on a two-month contract, without renewing it. The company’s management is making the employees fear tomorrow. Insiders say that until a contract expires, a worker does not know if it is going to be renewed.

“A shiny window, behind which everything is a mess,” this is how a worker at WIND describes the status quo, adding that since January 1, 2007, until September 27, 2009 WIND Hellas has spent over €12m in TV-advertising, while skipping to make any raise or whatsoever in employees salaries. The issues accompanying the blurred future of WIND’s employees, as well other topics of importance, have been discussed at a meeting between the managerial council of WIND-workers labor union chairman and the chairman of SYRIZA Aleksis Tsipras.