The Prime Minister had a meeting with Niki Kerameos at the Ministry of Labor
The message that the government is moving in the right direction and that it is steadily supporting and in the context of the potential of the economy the disposable income of all citizens and especially the weakest the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakiswho visited the Ministry of Labor in the morning and had a meeting with the Minister, Ceramic Victory and the rest of the political leadership of the ministry.
On the day of the implementation of the new, fifth consecutive growth of minimum wagethe prime minister and the political leadership of the Ministry of Labor raised the government’s priorities on labor and insurance issues with Kyriakos Mitsotakis attributing to the statement, which made a great emphasis on the declining unemployment. He clarified, however, that on the front of the labor “we still have a long way to go in front of us so that we can attract more women, more young people to the labor market -we are particularly pleased with reducing unemployment and women and young people but still have a way ahead -to attract more people.”
Following is the following the statement by the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis:
“I am visiting the Ministry of Labor today, one day symbolic, as today the fifth consecutive increase in the minimum wage, which now reaches 880 euros, is in place today. I would like to remind you that we received it at 650 euros in 2019 and I am absolutely convinced that we will adhere to our pre -election goal, the minimum wage being 950 euros in 2027.
I attach great importance to all the support policies of available income. The minimum wage is one of them, as it concerns more than 1.5 million of our fellow citizens, private sector workers, in the public sector, and beneficiaries of benefits, benefits that are supported by the increase in the minimum wage.
And, of course, I would like to emphasize that supporting the available income of the citizens goes first and foremost from the possibility we give to our fellow citizens who were unemployed to find a stable and well paid job. Unemployment in 2019 exceeded 17.5%, today has fallen below 9%. We have created 500,000 new jobs. Three out of four employees are full -time workers. The average salary for full -time employees has exceeded 1,400 euros.
And all this combined with a policy of reductions in employer contributions, which at the end of the four -year period will have been summed up to 6%. This means fewer burdens for employees, fewer charges for employers, and, of course, employers to absorb and pay, ultimately pay higher salaries. Because as unemployment decreases, employers will be forced to increase wages in order to attract the workers they want.
So we are talking about a cohesive and overall policy of labor, which already shows measurable results, but obviously we are still, I would not say halfway, but we still have a long way to go so that we can attract more women to the labor market, more young people -we are very pleased Our fellow citizens.
I would like to remind you that our bold initiative on not cutting pensions to pensioners who work and their independent taxation has led more than 200,000 pensioners to work legally and declared, a highly successful measure.
And of course, we will continue with active work policies so that we can better align the real needs of the labor market with the skills and capabilities of our workforce.
So on April 1st, I was given the opportunity to be here with you. I also wish the Mrs. Deputy Minister good power.
To close back where I started: We obviously know very well that the increase in the minimum wage does not solve the problems of our fellow citizens who are currently paid with this minimum wage. But it is a step in the right direction.
And of course, let’s not forget that to those who are trying to deal with our policy as a whole and describe us that we are “skates” in Europe, that in Greece today the minimum wage is in the 11th place among the 22 European countries that have a minimum wage.
We move in the right direction, we support the disposable income of all our fellow citizens, especially the weakest, and we work so that we can achieve all the goals we had set in 2023, when we were entrusted to the economy.
Kerameos Victory: Increasing the minimum wage is an important step in the target for 950 euros in 2027
“We welcome the Prime Minister to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, one day, I would say, with a special symbolism. It is the first day of implementation of the new increase in the minimum wage, an increase of 50 euros per month, an increase of 6% compared to last year, by 35% compared to 2019.
This increase is over 1.6 million citizens, does not solve all problems, but it reduces difficulties and is an important step in the direction of the prime minister’s goal for € 950 in 2027 and for 1,500 euros average, also in 2027.
And all this is part of our overall strategy, on the one hand, to boost as much as we can of the disposable income of the citizens and on the other systematically to reduce taxes, burdens, insurance contributions.
This meeting today takes place in the broader climate of the labor market in our country in our country, with the lowest unemployment of the last 17 years. Today when we are talking, Greece has lower unemployment than Sweden, Finland and Spain and more than 500,000 new jobs have been created.
In the coming period, Mr President, we are investing in two main axes: the first is the labor, the second the insurance. In the workplace our goal will always be – and our priority – more and better paid jobs, enhancing collective bargaining, continuous facilities and simplifications in the labor market, with the next very direct step in the operation of ERGANI II, a long time for it.
In the part of the insurance, we go on even faster pensions, better service to the citizen. From the 500 days it took on average to issue a pension, we have now fallen below 50, with a constant reducing pending and, I would say, with basic targets in the insurance segment for this year, the further acceleration of pensions, the reinforcement of the Certificate of Certification.
All this with one goal: how to better serve the citizen. “