Long training for forklift operators

Greece has a shortage of forklift operators because of antiquated laws requiring a long apprenticeship and more than a year’s worth of wages before certification.

Besides theoretical lessons, a candidate must accumulate 300 days of wages to become a forklift assistant and another 150 days to become a certified operator. By comparison, a regular driver’s license takes 21 hours of theoretical and 25 hours of practical lessons. Even a multi-engine aircraft pilot is licensed after 100 hours of theory and 51 flight hours.

A loophole absolves drivers of new forklifts with a power of under 10 kw but similar lifting capacity from getting a license. For companies, this means discarding their old forklifts.