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This is our weekly roundup from Greece.
Five women lost their lives in a devastating explosion at the Violanta biscuit factory in central Greece, an incident that authorities now say was caused by a long-term propane leak that went undetected for months.
Investigators have raised serious questions about safety failures, licensing practices, and the absence of effective inspections, while workers and union representatives say warning signs, including persistent gas odours, were ignored.
As the legal investigation unfolds, the case has come to expose broader concerns over weakened labour protections, eroded oversight, and the human cost of systemic neglect.
‘Violanda’ was not a tragedy; it was an accident waiting to happen.
When we sent our newsletter last week, the news had just broken. On Monday, there had been a catastrophic explosion at the Violanta cookie factory in the Trikala-Karditsa area.
Five female victims (Si apre in una nuova finestra) were discovered beneath the rubble of the collapsed roof:
Vasiliki Skabardoni, a former hairdresser and mother of two;
Elena Katsarou, a mother of a 13-year-old boy who coordinated shifts with her own mother so someone was always home;
Stavroula Boukovala, a mother of three who had worked at the Violanta factory for a decade;
Anastasia Nasiou, 65, mother of three, recently returned from Germany and nearing retirement.
Agapi Bounova, a grandmother with 15 years at the factory, had requested night shifts to care for her grandchildren.
The blaze began early on Monday, when 13 workers were on site. Eight managed to escape.
Investigations by the Fire Service at the Violanta factory revealed (Si apre in una nuova finestra) that the explosion was caused by a long-term propane leak, extending to a depth of approximately 60 centimeters below ground level. The gas had escaped and migrated underground over an estimated distance of 25 meters, until it came into contact with a spark from electromechanical equipment, triggering the powerful explosion.
The investigation has raised serious questions about the construction of the facilities, compliance with mandatory safety regulations, the licensing process, and the frequency and adequacy of inspections at the plant.
The Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes, drawing on findings from the site inspection and documenting them through a simulation video, concluded that the leak originated from the factory’s propane supply system. During the inspection, investigators identified extensive ice formation in the subsoil, a clear indication of a continuous leak, while a targeted excavation revealed high concentrations of propane trapped within the ground.
According to the evidence, the leak went undetected for a long period by those responsible for the facility, until a spark ultimately triggered the devastating explosion.
It was not ‘the bad moment’
Τhe company owner, the technical safety officer, and the shift technician were arrested in connection with the deadly explosion and fire at the Violanta factory, and were released (Si apre in una nuova finestra) after approximately four hours before the public prosecutor in Trikala.
It was later officially confirmed (Si apre in una nuova finestra) that the basement of the Violanta factory, which turned into a “death trap” for five female workers, was not included in the operating permit issued by the Urban Planning Directorate of the former Trikala Prefecture. Trikala mayor said (Si apre in una nuova finestra) that eight operating permits have been issued since then, yet none included the basement.
The 2007 permit bears the signature of Dimitris Papastergiou, an electrical engineer and the current Minister of Digital Governance, Dnews revealed (Si apre in una nuova finestra).
Employees reportedly (Si apre in una nuova finestra) told the Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes (DAEE) that in recent months they had intermittently smelled gas and had informed their supervisors. The owner is also reported to have admitted that he noticed an odour, which he attributed to the sewage system, while the shift supervisor said he passed the complaints on to the production manager. By contrast, the safety officer claimed to have been unaware.
At the same time, a 2020 document from the Region of Thessaly noted (Si apre in una nuova finestra) that the two propane tanks had not been installed in the correct location, a finding that is now being re-evaluated.
Then, a serious allegation came from Giorgos Liatifis, president of the Trikala Milk, Food and Beverages Union and secretary general of the Labour Center. He told (Si apre in una nuova finestra) Orange Press Agency that conditions at the Violanta factory were extremely harsh, with inadequate safety measures and persistent gas odours days before the fatal explosion. Workers, he said, reported being unable to use restrooms because of the smell, which management allegedly dismissed as a sewage issue. According to Liatifis, the Labour Center’s early warnings have since been borne out by developments following the accident.
Liatifis also cited serious deficiencies observed during a prior inspection, including problems with equipment, emergency exits, excessive heat and humidity. He accused the company of systematically blocking union access to the workplace, claiming that management even called the police when union representatives attempted to contact workers or conduct union elections. He added that similar conditions exist in other local factories, warning that unchecked work intensification and weak oversight by safety authorities are putting workers at continued risk.
Working conditions worsened, labour rights eroded, state oversight collapsed
The incident follows the preliminary release of the 2025 annual report by the Federation of Greek Technical Enterprise Employee Associations (OSYTEE). Findings reveal (Si apre in una nuova finestra)a staggering escalation in workplace accidents, reaching a peak in 2025: At least 201 people lost their lives on the job, and 332 workers suffered life-altering injuries. Fatalities have nearly doubled since 2022, when 104 deaths were recorded. Serious injuries have followed a similar trajectory, skyrocketing from 140 in 2022 to over 330 today.
For OSYTEE, the Trikala disaster highlights a systemic failure. President Andreas Stoimenidis described the situation as a “humanitarian crisis” fueled by dysfunctional labour policies.
In response to the publication of official data recording 201 workplace deaths in 2025, government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis argued (Si apre in una nuova finestra) that political actors and journalists are exploiting recent fatal accidents and circulating claims that Greece is a “champion in industrial accidents”, despite ongoing judicial investigations and what he described as the absence of any link to government responsibility. He described this as a “movement of gravediggers.”
Greece’s Labour Inspectorate issued (Si apre in una nuova finestra) a sharp response. “The reality in the workplace is not measured by communication statements, but by human lives, injuries and families that pay the cost of the lack of effective prevention”, adding that they are speaking “in memory of these women”.
Citing Eurostat, the statement claimed that only 30 to 40 per cent of workplace accidents are recorded in Greece, because large groups of workers are excluded from registration, including farmers, sailors, quarry workers and marble workers.
The Labour Inspectorate stressed the scale of understaffing, emphasising that “thousands of businesses across the country are controlled by only 233 labour inspectors.” It cited the example of Trikala and Karditsa, where more than 12,000 businesses are overseen by a regional health and safety inspection unit with only four inspectors, based on ERGANI data and excluding construction sites.
With around 600 inspections per year, it says, “it takes decades to inspect businesses even once”.
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That’s all for this week; please forward this email to anyone you think might find it interesting and ask them to join our international community!
The AL team
Data
31/01/2026
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