Labor Ministry

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.

Workers showed massive interest in recording their data on the online platform for the 800-euro handout at supportemployees.yeka.gr.

A law amendment of the Labor Ministry that was approved by Parliament on Thursday has given a significant boost, worth 200 million euros, to the financial results of National Bank of Greece.

The new bill by the Labor Ministry that was tabled on Monday in Parliament creates a new landscape for pensions and social security contributions. The interventions promoted have led to a strong reaction by many unions, which have decided to call a 24-hour strike for today.

The Labor Ministry will soon table an amendment to a bill that would have disqualified people who have not resided in Greece for 40 years from receiving a state pension, government sources said Friday.
The bill would have affected ethnic Greeks from Albania who pay social security contributions in Greece. Ethnic Greeks held a protest rally in central Athens on Thursday.

The Labor Ministry will soon table an amendment to a bill that would have disqualified people who have not resided in Greece for 40 years from receiving a state pension, government sources said Friday.

The increase in hirings of private sector salary workers has started to slow, generating fears of a reversal of the rise in employment.

The process for the adjustment of the minimum wage will begin in the last 10 days of February, and according to law it must be completed within four months. Discussions have already started within the government, with spokesman Stelios Petsas reiterating New Democracy's election pledge for an increase up to the level of 703 euros per month in the next three years.