More than 3,000 people hired during the pandemic to keep Greek municipal and regional services afloat will lose their jobs by the end of the month. 

Athens announced that as COVID-19 measures are being loosened in the country the services of people checking QR codes, sanitizing public parks and buildings as well as cleaning streets will no longer be needed.

David Armaos has been working as a street cleaner for the city of Piraeus for almost two years. Now he needs to find another source of income – but he is not ready to go without a fight.

"I'll definitely take legal action," he tells CGTN. "And in the meantime, although I have a second job, I'm already looking to replace the one I will lose – because with only one job it's not possible to feed a family. Life has become expensive, especially now.

"My future is uncertain because we don't know if there will be any extension. But even if there is, imagine they tell us they will extend our contracts for another five months – that's another five months living with stress."

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Armaos is far from alone. From street cleaners to those working in COVID-19 testing centers and checking QR codes, workers in municipalities and regions across the country will be laid off at the end of May, after two years of working on the front line of the pandemic.

The request by workers hired during the pandemic to convert the fixed contracts to permanent was denied by the interior ministry, forcing the thousands of contractors to take legal action and protest on the streets.  

The workers insist that their work doesn't only cover temporary needs, but permanent issues – and they claim the right to work, with full employment rights and without the stress of being laid off.

 Although many understand they were hired because of the pandemic, what they don't understand is why they are let go when they are meeting permanent needs.

"That's the logical thing to say – 'I signed a contract, it came to an end and now I leave,'" acknowledges Armaos. "But most of the regions and municipalities nowadays have told us that we cover fixed and permanent needs, with many mayors coming out in public and stating that in order for our municipality to run smoothly, without any problems, we really need these workers. 

"So I don't understand why lay us off and hire others that you will need to train, when we already know the job."

Finding the balance

Even as COVID-19 measures in Greece are loosened, the pandemic is not over, with the country recording more than 3,000 new daily cases. That could be seen as making the workers' argument stronger.

But as experts explain, it's neither fair nor legal to turn temporary contracts into permanent ones and there's no easy solution.

"We really need to scan where we need permanent workers, find the people with the right skills and then hire them, they can have a financial and career balance," says employment attorney Ioannis Karouzos.

"We also need to understand that we can't hire temporary workers for full-time positions, just like that. There are programs in place and laws. It takes time to apply, go through the process and find the right people. It's not fair for those who have been waiting for some time. The problem with Greece is that once people get a temporary government job, they don't want to let go."

After the decade-long debt crisis, the pandemic and inflation, unemployment rates went through the roof in Greece, so these temporary contracts for workers on the frontline gave people a financial breather.

But the announcement that COVID-19 contracts will not be renewed leaves thousands of people like David Armaos worrying if they'll be able to stay afloat.