Relations between employees and management at Estée Lauder Hellas have reached a breaking point, with workers launching strike action in protest against a proposed new collective agreement that would set starting salaries below Greece’s legal minimum wage.
Negotiations Stalled After Months of Talks
Negotiations involving more than 480 employees—including sales staff, technicians, and store managers—have been ongoing since early January 2026. Despite repeated meetings, no agreement has been reached. The company’s latest proposal is a two-year operational collective agreement with a base salary of €838.30—roughly €83 less than the current national minimum wage of €920.
Strike and Protest Outside Headquarters
After postponing previously announced actions scheduled for 4 June in hopes of reaching a resolution, union representatives resumed efforts—but talks with Estée Lauder Hellas executives ultimately failed. As a result, workers declared a strike and held a demonstration today, 7 July, outside the company’s headquarters on Michalakopoulou Street in Athens.
“We’re Asking for Dignity, Not Crumbs”
Ioanna Amariartou, President of the Estée Lauder Hellas Employees’ Union, told newsit.gr: “We’re standing outside the company’s offices with our colleagues as part of our strike action. What we’re asking for is fair pay. Estée Lauder is offering a salary scale that starts at €838.30—the equivalent of a minimum wage that doesn’t even exist in Greece today. We’re demanding fair wages. We’re demanding dignity. We’re demanding to be compensated for what we deliver.”
She added: “We generate Estée Lauder’s profits through our work—and we deserve the raise we’ve earned. With crumbs, we simply cannot survive. Our union represents 480 retail employees across the company’s stores—each one supporting a family. Every day, I speak with colleagues who tell me they’ve run out of money by mid-month—unable even to feed their children. The amount Estée Lauder is offering us is not enough to live on.”
Broader Industry Concerns
Efi Michali, President of the Union of Cosmetics Sector Employees, described the company’s stance as dismissive and disrespectful. “We’re all here because this issue affects the entire sector,” she said, underscoring the wider implications for labor standards across Greece’s cosmetics industry.