Answers to the questions that have arisen after the tragedy at the deadly tragedy at the Violanda factory concerning inspections, the competence of inspections, licensing, staffing of the Labour Inspection services, and industrial accidents in Greece were given by government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis. At the same time, he attacked the supporters of the so-called “tomb raider movement”, saying: “As is unfortunately the case in every tragedy in this country, whether it is an accident, whether it is an industrial accident, a railway accident or a major natural disaster, the known unknowns, which I think is now very typical, the so-called “grave diggers’ movement”, are playing their part. They invest in misery, they invest in the shock that people rightly suffer, and they go on to build careers: political, journalistic, turning satirical shows into tools for character assassination, misleading public opinion.”

On this basis, Marinakis answered specific questions, citing the legislative framework

On the responsibilities of the Labour Inspectorate

I start with the substance of the case and then move on to the Labour Inspectorate, where monstrous lies are heard about its staffing. Firstly, the Labour Inspectorate examines and checks compliance with and enforcement of labour legislation: working hours, digital card, personal means of worker protection, i.e., personal safety measures. At the same time, it checks the books and safety registers in relation to the necessary certificates, but it is not within its remit to actually check these certificates. In other words, it sees whether there is an A, B, and C certificate in relation to safety and all the relevant aspects of a company.

For the licensing and inspection of businesses

The framework for the licensing and control of businesses was defined by legislation in 2016, it is 4442/2016, and in 2018, 4512/18, under which now businesses are required to disclose all prescribed documents for the establishment, installation, and operation of their business, without requiring prior inspection and state certification of units and facilities for the start of operation. These checks are now carried out on the basis of the legislation in force, ex post by each competent control body. I will refer to them either as part of regular inspections or in response to complaints.

Who has the authority for licensing, installation, and operation

Who has the authority to license, establish, and operate a food processing business such as VIOLANDA? It is the Development Directorate of the relevant Region where the business operates. In this case, the Development Directorate of the Region of Thessaly.

Responsibility for fire protection and fire safety control

Who is responsible for fire protection and fire safety control? The Fire Department. Until 2025, under the new licensing and inspection framework, the legislation did not provide for a mandatory regular active fire protection inspection by the Fire Brigade. This changed in 2025 with the new regulations brought in by the government, which provide for a tightening of the institutional framework of inspections for medium-risk businesses, such as food industries, with an obligation for a regular inspection by the Fire Brigade every 36 months. All businesses were classified into three main categories of low, medium, and high risk. This particular business, and I go to point 5, is at a medium-risk level, which means that there is an obligation to have regular inspections by the fire brigade from 2025 onwards – until then, there were none – every three years from the submission of the fire protection studies, which was in September 25, which was the submission of the studies. Audits can be done immediately by the Fire Department in case of complaints. That is, if all the things that were heard had been complained about or had been reported to the Fire Department, then in addition to the regular inspections, an immediate inspection had to be done.

The authority responsible for checking the accuracy of documents

Next logical question. Who is the competent authority to cross-check the correctness of the documents? That is all that the Independent Labour Inspectorate is required to see that there is simply the Independent Labour Inspectorate? Who checks the correctness of the documents? The fire protection study? The subsequent notification of the operation of the installations? The Development Directorate of each Region, in this case, the Region of Thessaly.

Competent authority to determine whether there is an undeclared basement

The competent authority to determine whether or not there is an undeclared basement is the planning department of the respective municipality.

About the piping from which the leak occurred. The responsible auditing body is the District’s Development Department. So the basement is one thing, because those are the two issues we hear from the public, and the piping is another. One is the region concerned, in this case, the Region of Thessaly. The other is the planning department of the municipality. All of these are now being monitored in terms of the obligation to disclose the necessary supporting documents and documentation via the Open Business platform maintained by the Ministry of Development, where every auditing body within its remit can now check compliance. This is as far as this particular case is concerned.

“Any audit, any obligation that should have been met, the manner in which it was met, and any potential complaint by any employee, it is the job of the judiciary to investigate. Here we are talking about the statutory powers, because, as you understand, too much has been heard in public opinion.”

Staffing of the Independent Labour Inspection Authority

For the staffing of the Independent Labour Inspection Authority, theorganic posts are 995, and the filled posts are 902. Over 90% of the organic posts are filled. Let us go to the Region of Thessaly. Let me say here, Marinakis said, that there has been a huge increase in jobs since we took over in 2019. The Labour Inspectorate is an Independent Authority, but its staffing is the responsibility of the government and, in this case, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour. So. Is it more than when we took over the government of the country? It is more. So we have not understaffed it. Does it cover a large part of the organic posts? It covers over 90%. Let’s go to the Region of Thessaly. How many people are serving in total? 57 employees in Thessaly. There are 5 Departments of Labour Relations Inspection and four Departments of Occupational Safety and Health. The work of the above departments is supported by the Special Labour Inspectors Service, which is staffed by 36 special inspectors with all the relevant posts filled. These 36 are the ones who assist in the relevant inspections – several inspections by the Labour Inspectorate in this particular company was mentioned by the Ministry of Labour – in addition to those in the local offices, i.e., the 57 that are in Thessaly. So it is not true that 4 only in Trikala are checks on the businesses in Trikala. That is not true. It is half the truth. Because they do these checks together with officials from the rest of the 57 employees of the Region of Thessaly and the 36 special inspectors who go and do targeted checks. In recent years, this independent authority, the Labour Inspectorate, has repeatedly recorded historic highs in the number of inspections. I have a table here that I will attach.

Inspections by the Labour Inspectorate

Reading. Audits 2018. Before we come along, supposedly understaffed, the Labour Inspectorate and all the lies being peddled by the known unknowns. Audits in 2018: 54,294 Fines 8,473 Receipts of 33,742,000. In 2019, 54,000 checks became 58,000, and fines 10,000. In 2020, 57,000 checks. Parenthetically, do we have the coronavirus parameter? We’re getting away from the coronavirus. 2021: 62,000, 2022: 65,000, 2023: 74,000 checks, 2024: 79,000 checks. From 54,000 audits in 2018, 79,000 audits by this “understaffed” supposedly and “depreciated” supposedly agency.

The fines

Yes, but was this “supposedly “understaffed and “antiquated” agency, as some say, “fining” people to take advantage of their suffering? From 8,473 fines – attributions, 16,766 fines – attributions. Times 2 the fines. And how many amounts have been assessed and collected, unless there have been appeals? Out of 33 million in 2018 came this “evil” government, which “does not do inspections” and even the Independent Labour Inspection Authority during the days of this evil government supposedly. And the amounts of 33 million and 51 million.

For workplace accidents

“Some say, ‘we have a record. And I go to the latest vile lie being peddled by the “grave digger movement” in our country, who are exploiting the pain of relatives, victims, and the anguish of society. Our country has a ‘record’, he says. I answer everything,” Marinakis said, adding, “Obviously, this answer has ten different points. Who is spreading this false information? A certain association of workers at the Labour Inspectorate. Who is the President of this association? This is the name of this particular representative of the Labour Inspectorate. The one who wrote her the work programme. And some people believe a workers’ association without any documentation, without any citation of sources, on how these numbers are derived. Because you know, we’re not talking about pips, we’re talking about people who have been lost. And it’s tragic to lie and to instrumentalize deaths to create impressions with oppositional motives. Accidents at work in every country in Europe are measured in the same way and with exactly the same methodology, which is dictated, as detailed in a statement yesterday by the Independent Labour Inspection Authority, in accordance with the European Statistical Authority’s protocols on accidents at work. The way they are counted in Greece by the people of the Labour Inspectorate, which is not a government authority, but an Independent Authority, is the way they are counted throughout Europe.

“And the way they count them, as much as it does not suit the narrative of those who mislead public opinion, the so-called satirical, vulgar broadcasts, various people who pretend to be objective journalists and opposition parties, Greece, based on official data, is the third country with the least number of accidents at work. I hasten to say, because I am addressing society, but I am also addressing the people of the movement of people who instrumentalise human suffering, i.e., those who are grave robbers, the ‘grave robbers’ movement, that even one person lost at work is sad news, and the state has an obligation to do more and more. But for some people to try, on the tragic news of the deaths of five of our fellow citizens, to try to quadruple the death toll from workplace accidents to create an impression, to get people out on the streets, and make a career out of it, is the most vile thing a person can do in their life. They are wasted on this, and we will be here to expose their shamelessness. Because it’s a shame on the death of people, on the need for justice, on the need to blame whoever is responsible, to lie to the world to get famous, and to do opposition for opposition.”