ATHENS – Greek public hospital workers, who’ve toiled often without being paid for long periods during a near decade-long economic and austerity crisis that’s slowly lifting walked off the job for five hours on Jan. 28 demanding they get pay for hazardous duty.

The work stoppage was scheduled for 10 a.m.-3p.m. by the union of public hospital workers who said it was “self-evident” that their duties were dangerous and that they should be paid extra under laws bringing pay bumps for hazardous occupations.

They had similarly protested almost a year ago but go nowhere with that demand they are now repeating with the union claiming that hospitals have serious shortages of medical staff who are doing double duty in many cases
“They are prepared to wear protective uniforms against any kind of virus even though they are paid 700 euros ($771.23) per month, without their occupation being included in the list of hazardous ones,” the union also said.