(26 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Athens, Greece – 16 July 2025
1. Thomas Siamantaris, standing at his grill in Bairaktaris restaurant preparing the traditional Greek dish Gyros
2. Close up of meat cooking on vertical spit
3. Close-up of Siamantaris
4 Siamantaris cuts slices of meat cooking on vertical spit
5. Close up of hands of Siamantaris preparing souvlaki meat wrapped in pitta bread
6. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Thomas Siamantaris, grill cook in Bairaktaris restaurant:
"It’s tough, but we take precautions — we sit down when we can, take frequent breaks, stay hydrated. We drink plenty of water — really a lot. You need patience and willpower, but everything gets done."
7. Wide of tourists passing Bairaktaris restaurant
8. Close up of meat cooking on vertical spit (souvlaki)
9. Siamantaris standing at his grill
10. Close of fan
11. SOUNDBITE (Greek) Thomas Siamantaris, grill cook in Bairaktaris restaurant:
"The first few summers were a bit rough. You had to find a way to adjust to the conditions, but with the right safety measures, we managed. We’re doing fine now. We have air conditioners and fans wherever possible — as you can see here — we try to keep things bearable and stay decent people. You understand how challenging the conditions can be. But the work has to get done, year-round."
12. Close up of meat cooking on vertical spit
13. Various of Siamantaris refreshing himself by drinking water next to his workplace
14. Various of tourists eating traditional dish of souvlaki
15. Acropolis guard closing gate
16. Wide of Monastiraki square
17. Tourists at Monastiraki square
18. Close up of Greek flag
STORYLINE:
A grill cook in Greece keeps a fan at his feet.
Even on the hottest afternoons, tourists crowd Monastiraki Square in central Athens.
With views of the Acropolis, it is a prime stop for snapping photos, buying souvenirs and grabbing a souvlaki — the Greek version of a kebab, whose name literally means “little skewer.”
At the famed Bairaktaris Restaurant, grill cook Thomas Siamandas shaves meat from a vertical spit to prepare the popular wrap.
Heat from the foot-high burners adds to the sweltering 38 degrees Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit) outside.
Working with a fan at his feet, the 32-year-old says staying cool means knowing when to take a break — before the heat becomes overwhelming.
Grill cooks step into air-conditioned rooms when possible and always keep mineral water within reach.
“It’s tough, but we take precautions: We sit down when we can, take frequent breaks and stay hydrated. We drink plenty of water — really a lot,” says Siamandas, who’s worked at the restaurant for eight years.
“The first few summers were a bit rough. You have to find a way to adjust to the conditions.”
Unions say clearer rules are needed to beat growing heat hazard.
Greece’s largest labor union, the GSEE, says climate change is making heat exposure a growing workplace hazard — with more hot days each year and frequent spikes into heat waves.
Current regulations — which include mandatory breaks, shift adjustments and guidance on remote work — don’t go far enough, the union argues.
It is calling for year-round inspections and stricter standards, rather than relying on harder-to-enforce emergency measures.
“It’s a long-standing demand of the GSEE that explicit provisions be introduced into law to prevent worker heat stress, with stricter penalties and intensified inspections,” the union said in new guidance issued this month.
AP video by Srdjan Nedeljkovic
Production by Gatopoulos Derek
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