New austerity measures taken by the Greek government strongly affected Egyptian laborers working in Greece, said Suzy Kassem, labor advisor at the Egyptian Embassy in Athens. Egyptians working in agriculture and contracting have lost their jobs during the recent months, according to Kassem. She added that conflicting figures and declarations regarding Egyptian labor in Greece are impeding embassy efforts to contain problems facing the laborers. Kassem blamed the weak government database about foreign labor in Greece for contradictory information on Egyptian labor. She said that the official number of Egyptian laborers issued by the Greek government is 60,000, while other authorities said that the number ranges between 100,000 and 190,000. She highlighted the necessity of coordination between the Egyptian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Manpower to handle the status of Egyptian laborers in Greece. Kassem said that the amendment of a labor agreement between Greece and Egypt was delayed due to economic problems in both countries.
