Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Status and Job Satisfaction of Greek Forest Workers

  • Research Paper
  • Published:
Small-scale Forestry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the perception of forestry experts and forest workers on the status of the forest workers in Greece. A postal questionnaire was distributed to 115 experts on forest operations in Greece, and 106 forest workers were interviewed in the context of this study. According to the majority of the study participants, there is lack of interest on behalf of the State and the most pressing problems are income-related. The effectiveness of seminars organized during the last years is under question, since they did not result in fewer or less severe accidents. Despite the mentioned problems, the interviewed forest workers are reluctant to change their jobs, indicating a possible potential for maintaining or even increasing employment in forestry, which would warrant further study. The organization of a forest workers’ training system along with institutional changes can significantly improve the quality and the employment conditions of the Greek forest operations’ sector.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Armstrong JS, Overton TS (1977) Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys. J Marketing Res 14:396–402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atteslander P (1974) Methoden der empirischen Sozialforschung. Walter de Gruyter Verlag, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Axelsson A (1998) The mechanization of logging operations in Sweden and its effect on occupational safety and health. Int J For Eng 9:25–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Babbie ER (2009) The practice of social research, 12th edn. Wadsworth Publishing, Belmont

    Google Scholar 

  • Blombäck P, Ris T, Jost D, Buechel M, Raemy O (eds) (1997) Safety and Health in forestry are feasible. Federal Office of Environment, Forests and Landscape, Bern

    Google Scholar 

  • Blombäck P, Poschen P, Lövgren M (2003) Employment trends and prospects in the European Forest Sector—a study prepared for the European Forest Sector Outlook Study (EFSOS). United Nations, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Bordas RM, Davis GA, Hopkins BL, Thomas RE, Rummer RB (2001) Documentation of hazards and safety perceptions for mechanized logging operations in East Central Alabama. J Agric Saf Health 7:113–123

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • BUS/BUWAL (2003) Wald und Holz—Jahrbuch. Bundesamt für Statistik/BUWAL, Eidg. Forstdirektion

    Google Scholar 

  • Efthymiou PN (1989) Ergonomic problems and accidents in the mountain logging of Greece. In: Proceedings of the Seminar on the mechanization of harvesting operations in mountainous terrain, Antalya/Turkey 20–24 Nov 1989. FAO/ECE/ILO, Geneva and Rome

  • Efthymiou PN (1990) Situation of occupational safety in forest operations of Greece. Invited paper at the European seminar on occupational safety in Forestry, Munich, 5–6 July 1990

  • Efthymiou PN (1992) Lack of infrastructure leads to underdevelopment of forest works. In: Proceedings of the 5th Panhellenic Congress of the Hellenic Foresty Society. Hellenic Forestry Society, Thessaloniki, pp 262–270 (In Greek)

  • Efthymiou PN (2001) Forest protection and forest work. In: Konstantinidis PN (ed) Forest growth and protection—Forest work. Ministry of Agriculture and NAGREF, Thessaloniki, pp 57–71 (in Greek)

  • Efthymiou PN, Karambatzakis T (1992) Evaluation of the wood harvesting and trade system by the forest workers’ cooperatives with the Presidential Decree 126/86. In: Proceedings of the 5th Panhellenic Conference of the Hellenic Forestry Society. Hellenic Forestry Society, Thessaloniki, pp 321–328 (in Greek)

  • Egan AF (2005) Training preferences and attitudes among loggers in northern New England. For Prod J 55(3):19–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Egan A, Taggart D (2004) Who wil log? Occupational choice and prestige in northern New England. J For 102(1):401–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Egan A, Taggart D (2009) Public perception of the logging profession in Maine and implications for logger recruitment. North J Appl Forestry 26(3):93–98

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2010) Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010—Key findings. http://foris.fao.org/static/data/fra2010/KeyFindings-en.pdf (Accessed 25 May 2010)

  • Gandaseca S, Yoshimura T (2001) Occupational safety, health and living conditions of forestry workers in Indonesia. J For Res 6:281–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gatzojannis S, Koletsos K (2001) Forest Management in Greece, modern needs. In: Konstantinidis PN (ed) Forest growth and protection—forest work. Ministry of Agriculture and NAGREF, Thessaloniki (In Greek)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gifi A (1990) Nonlinear multivariate analysis. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Gröger V, Lewark S (2002) Der arbeitende Mensch im Wald—eine ständige Herausforderung für die Arbeitswissenschaft. Wirtschaftsverlag N. W. Verlag für neue Wissenschaft, Dortmund-Berlin-Dresden

  • Helmkamp JC, Bell JL, Lundstrom WJ, Ramprasad A, Haque A (2004) Assessing safety awareness and knowledge and behavioral change among West Virginia loggers. Inj Prev 10:233–238

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jacob J, Huber M, Wirz R, Härle PR, Lewark S (1994) Warum wechseln Waldarbeiter ihren Beruf? Allg Forst Jagdztg 165:1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach N, Barrett KC, Morgan GA (2005) SPSS for intermediate statistics, 2nd edn. Lawrence Erlabaum Associates, Mahwah

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewark S, Härle PR (1991) Das Ausscheiden von Waldarbeitern der Staatsforstverwaltung 1983 bis 1990. Frühinvalidität und Berufswechsel am Beispiel des Bezirks Darmstadt. Allg Forstz für Waldwirtschaft und Umweltvorsorge 46:470–474

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindroos O, Burström L (2010) Accident rates and types among self-employed private forest owners. Acc Anal Prev 42(6):1729–1735

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linting M, Meulman JJ, Groenen PJF, Van der Kooij AJ (2007) Stability of nonlinear principal components analysis: an Empirical study using the balanced bootstrap. Psychol Methods 12:359–379

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meulman JJ, Heiser WJ (2001) SPSS 11.0 Categories. SPSS Inc., Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Rural Development and Food (2006) Activity report for the year 2005 of the Greek State Forest Service. Ministry of Rural Development and Food, Athens (in Greek)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell R, Driscoll T, Healey S, Mandryk J, Hendrie L, Hull B (2001) Fatal injuries in forestry, logging work in Australia, 1989 to 1992. J Occup Health Saf Aust NZ 17(6):567–577

    Google Scholar 

  • Moseley C, Reyes YE (2006) Job quality in logging and forestry services in Oregon. Ecosystem Workforce Program, Paper Number 13, University of Oregon

  • National Statistical Service of Greece (2008) Information retrieved from the website www.statistics.gr (Accessed 22 Oct 2008)

  • OECD (2000) Employment outlook. OECD, Paris

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Poschen P (1993) Forestry, a safe and healthy profession? Unasylva 44:3–12

    Google Scholar 

  • Poschen P (1997) Forestry and employment—much more than meets the eye. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh World Forestry Congress, Antalya, Turkey. http://www.fao.org/forestry/docrep/wfcxi/publi/V4/T20E/1.htm (Accessed 21 May 2010)

  • Salminen S, Klen T, Ojanen K (1999) Risk taking and accident frequency among finnish forestry workers. Saf Sci 33:143–153

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siardos GK (1997) Methodology of social research in agriculture. Ziti Publications, Thessaloniki (in Greek)

    Google Scholar 

  • Siardos GK (1999) Methods of multi-variable statistical analysis. Ziti publications, Thessaloniki (in Greek)

    Google Scholar 

  • SPSS (1998) SPSS base applications guide. SPSS, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • SPSS (2001) SPSS 11.0 Tutorial. SPSS Inc., Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Strehlke B (2003) How we work and live: forest workers talk about themselves; A global account of working and living conditions in the forestry sector. ILO, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsioras PA (2004) Analysis and formation of modern forest workers’ training systems for the Greek Forestry. Dissertation, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (in Greek with summary in English)

  • Tsioras PA (2010) Future perspectives of the forest workers in Greece. Iforest 3:118–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsioras PA, Efthymiou PN (2007) Need for forest workers’ training system in Greek forestry. Geotech Sci Issues 18(2):46–56 (in Greek with summary in English)

    Google Scholar 

  • Uusitalo J, Markkola JM (2006) Entrepreneurship in forestry—is it worth activating? For Stud 45:67–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Vik T (1999) Improving working conditions in forestry—an example from Norway. In: Proceedings of the Seminar “Improving working conditions and increasing productivity in forestry”. Forest Research Institute, Zvolen, pp 51–65

  • Weigand C (2009) Statistik mit und ohne Zufall, 2nd edn. Springer, Heidelberg

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshimura T, Acar HH (2004) Occupational safety and health conditions of forestry workers in Turkey. J For Res 9:225–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young FW, Takane Y, De Leeuw J (1978) The principal components of mixed measurement level multivariate data: an alternating least squares method with optimal scaling features. Psychometrika 43:279–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author wishes the Editor and the two anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments and recommendations. Mr. Mark Paul Hedley is thanked for editing the text and improving the English in the manuscript, as well as the forestry experts and forest workers who participated in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Forest Utilization, Faculty of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, POB 227, 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Petros A. Tsioras

Authors
  1. Petros A. Tsioras
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Petros A. Tsioras.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tsioras, P.A. Status and Job Satisfaction of Greek Forest Workers. Small-scale Forestry 11, 1–14 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-011-9164-0

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-011-9164-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation