April 16, 2013 Greece_Many factories in Greece stop as country struggles for EU aid

Cobwebs.

Outside, rain falls on the still and silent Petzetakis plastic piping factory in Thessaloniki, northern Greece.

Inside the machines have been unused since banks stopped investing and the owner, Giorgos Petzetakis, fled in 2010.

One of his workers, also Giorgos, did meet the owner just once after that. He and 95 other staff are owed 7 million euros in wages.

SOUNDBITE: Giorgos Panelis, former worker (speaking Greek):

"After a short talk I had to force myself to leave so I wouldn't hurt him."

Workers see that they are being made to bear the cost of Greece's economic woes.

SOUNDBITE: Spyros Marchetos, political scientist (speaking English):

"This is a catastrophe. And of course the pain is very unequal."

Across industrial northern Greece, the story is repeated.

PTC:

"This fertilizer factory used to be a center of northern Greek industry. Nowadays though, by economics fair or foul, it's a ghost factory and the only fertilizer coming in here is imported from elsewhere in Europe."

It produced specialist fertilizers until one day the workers were called together and told by the owners that the know how for their products had been sold off and that operations would be stopped.

SOUNDBITE: Giorgos Michailidis, former union leader (speaking Greek):

"It's criminal that a profitable industry was shut down and an industry that produced a high quality material."

Workers now see the cruel irony that since the factory's closing fertilizer prices have tripled. But it's a wider fear that once skilled workforces are laid off it's all too hard to bring them back.

SOUNDBITE: Tsarabolidis Panayotis, workers' union of Thessaloniki (speaking Greek):

"The unemployment rate here is percent. By the year's end it could be over 38! With no efficient policy the situation is out of control."

Workers across northern Greece are desperate. Desperate to keep their jobs, to get back into jobs and to be paid for their work.

It doesn't help ease their concerns when they're in positions like Giorgos'.

SOUNDBITE: Giorgos Panelis, former worker (speaking Greek):

"We've been unemployed for 3 years and he's off skiing in Switzerland."

Tom Barton, RT

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