In a warning work stoppage, on Wednesday, November 24 (until
(3 p.m.), a protest at the Ministry of Finance and demonstrations across the country on the same day are being organized by OPAP agents in opposition to the new measures that take effect today for their stores.
According to the Panhellenic Federation of OPAP Agents (POEPPP), agents are strongly protesting the exclusion of customers from their stores who have a negative lab test result (rapid or PCR), emphasizing that no such ban applies to other retail stores in the market.
In an open letter, POEPPP emphasizes that the travel agency sector is perhaps the one hardest hit by the pandemic and has received minimal support from the government, despite its exemplary compliance with public health measures.
As stated, «Last Saturday, we were surprised to discover that the Government Gazette announcing the new measures against the coronavirus entry to our stores was prohibited for those with a certificate of a negative lab test. This development came as a complete surprise, as there had been no prior mention, consultation, or warning… But we were even more surprised when we discovered that those with a negative lab test result are allowed to enter as usual (albeit subject to verification of the relevant certificates) to all other retail establishments…
We wonder how it is possible that this applies to all retail stores, but not to our store network, which, with zero tax evasion, constitutes the largest and most organized retail network in all of Greece!»
In the same letter, POEPPP requests that individuals with a negative lab test result be allowed to enter travel agencies and calls for specific measures to improve the operation of and support for their businesses, in order to prevent the financial ruin of approximately 4,000 agents and 20,000 employees throughout Greece.
Read the full press release:
«Although the pandemic has created enormous problems in the market—and particularly within our network—over the past two years, all of us—the nearly 4,000 OPAP agents throughout Greece— recognized from the very beginning that our duty and responsibility to society is to support efforts to prevent and contain the COVID-19 pandemic.”.
For our part, we faithfully followed the strictest health and safety measures with exemplary compliance and discipline, even though we believed that some of them would have an immediate negative impact on the operation of our stores and our families’ income.
No one today can deny that our sector is perhaps the one hardest hit by the pandemic and most likely the one that has received the least support from the government throughout this entire period.
To prove the point, it suffices to simply present (by way of example) some data:
We are perhaps the sector that has been subject to the longest lockdowns. For us in particular, the lockdown was total and continuous, with no provision for any alternative operating models, such as “click-and-collect,” “click-and-shop,” “takeout,” etc. We are professionals whose income was effectively zero for many months; moreover, this situation essentially favored online competition at our expense, with whatever additional consequences this may have for the sustainability of our profession.
For months, our industry was overlooked by support measures—such as the Refundable Advance—and when we finally received some form of financial assistance, it was barely enough to cover our living expenses and our businesses’ obligations.
We have witnessed situations in which measures that were in effect in corresponding or similar sectors were not permitted in our stores. For example, even today, none of us can understand why there was recently a restriction limiting our stores to one seated customer per table, when this restriction did not apply anywhere else.
Today, we have once again witnessed unequal treatment of our industry, resulting in yet another direct blow to our agencies’ revenue, a fact that further intensifies our anxiety about our future and survival, both for us—the nearly 4,000 OPAP agents—and for our approximately 20,000 employees across the country.
Last Saturday, we were surprised to discover that the Government Gazette announcing the new measures against the coronavirus people with a certificate of a negative lab test were prohibited from entering our stores.
This development came as a complete surprise, as there had been no prior mention, consultation, or warning in any of the discussions we had as an industry with government officials over the past few days.
But we were even more surprised when we discovered that those who have a certificate of a negative lab test can enter normally (albeit subject to verification of the relevant certificates) to all other retail establishments, whether they are neighborhood stores or organized retail chains.
We wonder how this can possibly apply to all retail stores, but not for our chain of stores, which, with zero tax evasion, constitutes the largest and most organized retail network in all of Greece!
In any case, as POEPPP, we must sound the alarm, as our sector has reached its limits.
We are already facing enormous difficulties, and the situation is becoming even more difficult, every time measures are imposed that defy logic, as they apply almost exclusively to us and ultimately “hurt” even the State itself.
The impact on government revenue is significant, as the ban on entry for those who have undergone laboratory testing drives these customers toward illegal gambling, that is, to “establishments” from which the Greek government does not receive a single euro and where compliance with health measures is a foreign concept.
Furthermore, this measure constitutes yet another indirect form of support for online competition against our stores, as has been the case throughout the pandemic to date.
For all these reasons, POEPPP and the local OPAP Agents’ Associations throughout the country have decided to immediately launch vigorous protests against the ongoing and multifaceted flagrant injustice being perpetrated against us.
Among other things, on November 24, we will hold a warning work stoppage from the morning until 3 p.m., and we will hold a protest rally outside the Ministry of Finance, as well as protest rallies outside government agency buildings and the offices of government officials throughout Greece.
For decades now, our industry has shown that it knows how to fight and do whatever it takes to protect its rights and the thousands of families it represents.
As POEPP, we declare that the days when “a friendly chat” or a “friendly pat on the back” were enough are long gone.
We will not allow decisions to be made about us, our businesses, and our lives without even taking our views and suggestions into account.
In this context, and as a minimum measure to avert our economic collapse, we urgently call on the Greek government to:
Developing alternative operating procedures for our branches that will allow all citizens to enter and complete quick transactions.
OPAP network outlets should be allowed to keep employees who have a certificate of a negative lab test result, as is the case in other sectors.
Shift the burden of responsibility for complying with the measures (e.g., possessing and presenting vaccination certificates) to customers and consumers.
Support measures should also be adopted that can immediately provide some “breathing room” for our stores and prevent the economic collapse of our industry, specifically:
Waiver of the obligation to repay any amount of the aid we have received in the form of advance payments.
Rent subsidy.
Deferral of tax and social security obligations (income and payment plans).
Inclusion of our sector in an NSRF funding program.
Coverage of the Christmas bonus, taking into account the additional payroll costs resulting from the imposed measures.
»On Wednesday morning, we're all closing our stores and throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into the fight!"
On behalf of the POEPPP Board of Directors
The Secretary-General The President
Konstantinos Boulogeorgos Georgios Poulimas
