Labor Ministry

The children of pensioners granted retroactive dues by the Council of State for the 2015-16 pension cuts will get their cash in two stages. However, many of them face the risk of missing their deadlines as among the documents required is the certificate of inheritance acceptance. This is a document provided by courts which usually takes a significant amount of time.

The Labor Ministry and the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA) are resorting to the mobilization of the latter's retired experienced officials who have departed from the crucial departments for pension issues and processing social security demands, as the problem of outstanding applications has grown considerably, much to the dismay of pensioners.

The Labor Ministry is planning to implement payouts by December 21 to a series of workers who in the last few months have found themselves in a peculiar labor status with contract suspension, the forced closure of the enterprises where they work, teleworking and special-purpose leaves in a bid to respond to the unprecedented conditions of the pandemic.

Opposition SYRIZA chief Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday accused the center-right government of being "completely out of touch with reality" and failing to sufficiently address the economic impact of the health crisis.

"Even shame is ashamed," Tsipras said during debate on a Labor Ministry bill outlining support measures.

Employers seeking to secure state subsidies for some or all of their staff through the new Syn-Ergasia mechanism launched on Monday will need to submit two applications with very tight deadlines.

Workers in the catering and tourism industry clashed briefly with riot police in central Athens on Thursday during a demonstration to protest the effects of the pandemic on their jobs and the sectors.

The rally was called by the Communist Party-affiliated PAME union.

Dozens of members of SYRIZA's youth party organization on Monday held a protest outside the Labor Ministry in central Athens accusing the government of failing to take measures to help the unemployed and workers that were hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis will tell his EU counterparts on Thursday that member states need grants and not new loans to help their economies recover from the economic slump caused by the measures taken to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month saw a net loss of 41,903 jobs in Greece, making it by far the worst March since the collection of data started in 2001, as the coronavirus pandemic led to a dramatic drop in hirings, mainly in tourism and food service.

The first payments of a special handout of 800 euros for workers hit by the coronavirus crisis will be made after April 10. The emergency stipend concerns people who are out of work either because their employers were forced to shut down their business by the government or because their contracts have been suspended by enterprises hurt by the pandemic.