Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Pham Thi Thu Huong recently paid a working visit to the Nitsiakos company in Ioannina city, Greece, where she attended a gathering of Vietnamese workers to celebrate the Lunar New Year (Tet).
The event brought together more than 200 participants, including all Vietnamese workers, the company’s leadership, and Greek friends. Nitsiakos is one of Greece’s largest enterprises in livestock and poultry breeding and processing, and currently employs around 130 Vietnamese workers.
Speaking at the gathering, Huong expressed her appreciation and gratitude to the company’s leaders for their attention to both the material and spiritual well-being of Vietnamese employees. She noted that the Lunar New Year celebration helped workers feel the warmth of community and ease homesickness while living far from home.
The ambassador affirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy in Greece always accompanies and supports Vietnamese workers to protect their rights and legitimate interests. At the same time, the embassy is working to strengthen connections between businesses of the two countries to facilitate the provision of more skilled Vietnamese workers for the Greek market.
On the occasion, she also updated participants on Vietnam’s socio-economic situation and growing diplomatic ties with Greece. Each Vietnamese worker, she said, serves as a “messenger” bringing the image, culture, and people of Vietnam closer to Greek and international friends.
Chairman of the company Konstantinos Nitsiakos and its leadership praised Vietnamese workers for their intelligence, adaptability, diligence, and hard-working spirit. The company ensures that employees’ rights are fully protected in accordance with legal regulations and also offers opportunities for overtime work to help increase their income.
In addition, workers are provided with favourable living conditions, including free accommodation meeting hotel standards, shared cooking and dining areas, and laundry facilities. The company also provides monthly support such as rice, certain food items, and shopping vouchers for supermarkets. To enrich workers’ spiritual life, Vietnamese employees are arranged to live in the same area, couples are encouraged to work together, and recreational activities such as football and fishing are regularly organised.
During her visit, the ambassador toured the workers’ accommodation and production facilities and held discussions with Vietnamese employees. Many workers expressed satisfaction with the company’s welfare policies and care for Vietnamese staff, voicing their wish to maintain long-term employment there.
This was the first time Nitsiakos had organised a Lunar New Year celebration for Vietnamese workers. The company made thorough preparations, even inviting a Vietnamese restaurant from Athens, located about 450km away, to prepare traditional Tet dishes such as banh chung, spring rolls, pork sausage, and bamboo shoot soup.
Participants also watched a short film about the daily lives and work of Vietnamese employees, and enjoyed lively performances by Vietnamese workers and their Greek colleagues, creating a festive and joyful atmosphere./.
