Some guy in the village where "Maria" lives recently built and opened a mid-sized grocery store. He has five of them, or 11, I can't remember which. He's a dick. Talks to employees in a gruff manner. Plain rude.
(In an aside, I ask in advance for readers' forgiveness for minor factual errors. This is a blog, I'm not getting paid and my memory is bad. That said...)
As I recall, Greece now has a law whereby the minimum wage for people under 25 or somesuch is less than 3 euros an hour. Maria is in her mid-30s, and yet Mr. Dick pays her just 2.50 an hour. And she's THANKFUL.
But it wouldn't matter if she wasn't. The boss says, take it or get lost... more than a few lazy Greeks are willing to step in to replace her.
That's how bad it's gotten. Her boss, as I said, is a dick... and oh, have I mentioned... yeah, he's a DICK. Won't give them time off as required by law. Instead, he has her come in on what should be her weekend and makes her wear civilian clothes so anyone checking up can be reasonably fed a denial... But no one checks, not that I know of.
Want more lazy?
Maria and her husband have to grow vegetables to make ends met. Their teenage son has been operating a backhoe since he was, I think, 11 or so... He's good, too. The younger brother goes fishing with his unemployed dad sometimes. Again, putting food on the table. The sea can be rough and dangerous. Maria worries about them drowning.
Slackers, the lot them. Makes me sick.
