In a strongly-worded press release, Yiakalis claimed that the numbers of migrants on the islands of Lesbos, Samos and Chios are much larger than the official figures given by the government and accused Mouzalas of trying to fool local residents. "Our islands are experiencing the consequences of a double crisis : the economic crisis experienced by all Greeks and the hugely damaging consequences of the migration crisis," he said. "The tragedy here is that both local and centralized powers are all trying to convince us that we should now look to the 'next day' without actually having solved the main problems of the crisis, which is that our islands still have thousands of refugees and migrants whose number is a false 'magic picture.'" "We believe that this crisis cannot be overcome by wishful thinking. The announcements about various special development funds of 'virtual' millions, have not convinced us. Mouzala has repeatedly misled islanders with lies and unfounded promises," he added. Yiakalis ended his tirade by claiming that even to this day there is a lack of a comprehensive crisis response plan and that no plan exists to relieve the pressure on the islands or to deal with the collapse of tourism. Camp workers stage rally Meanwhile, workers at migrant reception centers on Lesbos and Samos are demanding the renewal of their contracts, which will start to expire next month. A rally was held outside the notorious Moria hotspot in Lesbos on Wednesday by workers who claim that a total of 162 people, including cleaning staff, will begin losing their jobs as of April if their contracts are not renewed. "The services which these workers provide are invaluable," said the deputy regional governor of Samos, Nikos Katrakazos. "There will be huge problems if workers start leaving the island's hotspot, so a solution must be found immediately as local residents have borne the brunt of the refugee crisis," he added.

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