Fair work and employment conditions in the Greek tourism and hospitality sector.

Abstract

This report examines the working conditions and Fair Work in the Greek hospitality sector, drawing on quantitative and qualitative evidence from a national worker survey. While the sector is a cornerstone of the Greek economy, contributing over 20% of GDP and employment, it continues to rely on an employment model characterised by flexibility, seasonality, and uneven job quality. The report employs Fredman et al’s (2020; 2025) Fair Work framework to discuss the research findings reflecting on five Fair Work principles: Fair Pay, Fair Contracts, Fair Conditions, Fair Management and Fair Representation. Interestingly, the findings reveal a segmented labour market in which fair and unfair work coexist. Quantitative data reveal this duality. On the one hand, many workers, mainly from larger organisations, report having formal contracts, positive workplace environments, and respectful treatment by managers. On the other hand, a significant percentage of participants from smaller and independent organisations are experiencing underpayment, unpaid overtime, high work intensity, workplace violence, and limited access to rest time. Additionally, pay is often legally compliant but widely perceived as inadequate; working conditions combine positive social environments with high physical and emotional strain; contracts are common but do not always guarantee stability or predictability; and management is generally described as fair but offers limited worker participation and employee voice with evident low union membership and limited collective voice. Finally, the quantitative analysis reveals a dominance of neutral responses to the survey questions which, alarmingly, suggests that unfair working conditions might have become normalised, or consented by workers within the sector. Qualitative evidence, however, fruitfully, provides a more in-depth picture of workplace challenges. Workers consistently describe wages as insufficient relative to workload and cost of living, with long-term stagnation undermining perceptions of fairness. Seasonal employment is associated with excessive working hours, abusive behaviours, limited rest days, and dependence on employer-provided accommodation, which is often described as inadequate. The employment relationship is frequently characterised by a gap between formal contracts and actual practices, reflecting patterns of informality and “semi-compliance”. A key insight of this survey is the evident divergence between quantitative and qualitative findings. This reflects three underlying dynamics: the normalisation of poor conditions, structural segmentation between more and less regulated workplaces, and constrained worker voice due to weak collective representation. Together, these factors sustain a system in which flexibility is prioritised over security and stability in the employment relationship. At the same time, the presence of more positive experiences, particularly in larger and more formalised organisations, demonstrates that better practices are achievable. Improving working conditions is therefore not a question of feasibility but of consistent implementation and stronger institutional support. With continued sectoral growth and projected labour shortages, improving job quality is both a social and economic priority for the industry. Addressing pay, work intensity, contractual reliability, and worker representation in an integrated manner will be essential to enhancing workforce sustainability, supporting service quality, and ensuring the long-term resilience of the Greek tourism and hospitality sector.