Acute problems facing workers at reception centres and asylum services

Subject: Acute problems facing workers at reception centres and asylum services

Most of those working for the Asylum Service of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum and at the Reception and Identification Centres (RICs) on the Aegean islands and Evros are fixed-term employees with many different types of employment contract. They also include doctors and nursing staff employed by the EODY national public health body, with contacts expiring on 31 December 2021.

At the same time, the exploitation of those recruited on successive short-term private law contracts is continuing.

Workers employed under OAED ‘public service’ manpower employment schemes for cleaning and technical maintenance are now finding themselves unemployed.

Those recruited by contractors or agencies through European Asylum Support Office (EASO) are experiencing similar insecurity and sweatshop working conditions.

In view of this:

1. Can the Commission explain why, together with the Greek Government, it has decided to perpetuate the inadmissible exploitation of contract workers in refugee and asylum services on the part of contractors, sweatshop employment agencies and NGOs, instead of providing better worker protection and effective support for refugees and migrants?

2. What view does it take of demands for comprehensive job security in the form of new open- ended contracts for experienced and specialised staff, absorbed together with NGO workers into a single government body responsible for the management of applications for asylum and shelter, without the need for contractors, hiring agencies and NGOs?

Answer given by Mr Schmit on behalf of the European Commission

(8 March 2022)

Although the Commission is aware of issues related to short-term temporary contracts in the field of migration management in Greece, it is not competent to intervene in the staffing of national public services nor of non-governmental organisations who are active in this field.

Asylum applications and accommodation arrangements must be and are administered by the competent national authorities of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, namely the Greek Asylum Service and the Reception and Identification Service.

In this context, any suggestion about the creation of a specialised government body which would employ all workers in the field should be addressed to the Greek authorities.

Regarding personnel contracted by the EU Asylum Agency (formerly EASO), the agency is deploying personnel to support the Greek authorities, which is by definition of a temporary nature. Capacity building activities of the agency aim for national authorities to train and employ personnel in a sustainable way.

The Commission promotes fair working conditions and adequate social protection for all. As a key initiative under the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Council Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed (1) aims to ensure that social protection coverage is extended to people working on non-standard contracts. The EC law sets minimum requirements on working conditions, working time, and health and safety at work.

⋅1∙ https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.C_.2019.387.01.0001.01.ENG&toc=OJ:C:2019:387:TOC | | ( | | )