Household income

Two police officers, accused of extorting business owners and construction workers, were placed on administrative leave on Tuesday.

The two accused were arrested in the early hours of Sunday by the police's internal affairs unit.

Police have also launched a sworn administrative inquiry into the two officers' activities.

The birth allowance is increasing permanently and retroactively by 400 to 1,500 euros for births that took place from January last year, depending on the number of children. This is the allowance introduced as of January 1, 2020, amounting to €2,000 for each child born.

The latest data on savings present food for thought for the Greek government policymakers regarding its exit out of the woods. In 2022, people in the EU saved on average 12.7% of their disposable income. The rate was significantly lower than in 2021 (16.4%), and closer to the values before Covid-19 pandemic.

Four support measures (Youth Pass, heating allowance, fuel for farmers, and one-off pensioner aid) are being implemented between now and Christmas, supporting vulnerable social groups and young people, while another is planned for vulnerable households if budget conditions allow.

The share of people in Greece who are overburdened with housing costs is 32.4%, compared to 21.9% in Denmark and 15.3% in the Netherlands, according to the latest Eurostat survey for 2021.

Prime Minister Florin Citu said that reform in the public sector has started by stopping the salary envelope increase, measure that would also be decided for next year, in addition to digitisation and restructuring of state-owned companies with arrears.

The representatives of the Publisind Federation are protesting on Wednesday in front of the Presidential Administration against the salaries' and bonuses' freezing and not indexing pensions with the inflation value, as well as for a rise in the minimum wage, linked with the prices' hikes. "We are public workers and this should not be a stigma!

Minister of Labor and Social Protection Raluca Turcan declared on Thursday, in southeastern Constanta, that the government is not planning to abolish the bonuses granted to the public sector employees, but to have the employee firstly attracted by the salary and less by the bonuses. "I would like to dismantle some fake news that has been spreading in the last hours.

Greece remains the European country with the highest burden on households regarding home expenditure in proportional terms, with its rate at four times the European Union average.

The financial crisis may have diminished Greeks' disposable incomes, but not enough for them to give up the popular pastime of eating and drinking out.