Greek Minister visits cannery employing refugees in Imathia

Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris visited the Alexander S. A. cannery in Imathia to observe a model of refugee integration through employment. Accompanied by Deputy Interior Minister Konstantinos Gioulekas and Deputy Development Minister Lazaros Tsavdaridis, the minister highlighted the facility as an example of how work can facilitate social inclusion.

Sotiris Skourtopoulos, CEO of Alexander S. A. and President of the Imathia Chamber of Commerce, explained that the company began hiring asylum seekers from local facilities in 2021 to address severe labor shortages. The peach canning industry in Greece is highly seasonal, lasting only 40 to 45 days, during which the company requires up to 600 workers across three shifts to manage the workload.

Skourtopoulos noted that while the administrative process of securing social security numbers, tax IDs, and bank accounts for asylum seekers is complex, the company has gained significant experience over the last five years in managing these placements.