"Fine words, but impractical," Minister of Labor and Social Security Niki Kerameos described PASOK President Nikos Androulakis’ proposal for a 32-hour or 35-hour workweek while speaking on SKAI Radio.
“It sounds very nice, and obviously many people may want us to work four days a week, but this must also be realistic and must actually lead to a solution that can be implemented,”the minister noted.
She also noted that Mr. Androulakis’s proposal was followed by a shift in focus, as his initial proposal for a mandatory 4-day workweek was replaced by a proposal for a pilot program following the backlash it received.
Small and medium-sized businesses and store closures
“So, I work in a store Monday through Friday. Suddenly I’ll be working Monday through Thursday, earning the same pay, but the store will remain open as usual, so with the same revenue, it will have to find a way to hire more staff. In other words, labor costs will rise. Some stores won’t be able to handle this. They’ll close, and this will lead to store closures and the layoffs of thousands of employees,”Ms. Kerameos estimated.
She added that even some businesses that might be able to withstand this specific measure would have to hire more workers to make up for those who are leaving, as unemployment has fallen to its lowest levels in the last 17 years, and they would have to shoulder the increased costs, since their revenues would not rise.
“Therefore, Mr. Androulakis’s proposal is dangerous in my view, because it will inevitably lead to the closure of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses and the layoffs of thousands of workers.”
The minister emphasized that most European countries adhere to a 40-hour workweek, while some have begun piloting a four-day workweek.
She also noted that Greece has a unique situation, which makes PASOK’s proposal concerning.
“Over 90% of the country’s businesses are small and medium-sized. They employ up to 10 workers,”said Ms. Kerameos, describing PASOK’s proposal as unsubstantiated.
“You come out and make a proposal that could potentially affect millions of workers. It completely alters the structure of the Greek economy. Have you done any analysis? Have you conducted a study to see how it would affect, for example, contributions to social security funds? A study, any data?” she asked, noting that such proposals had previously led the country into crisis.
The minister reminded that Greece currently has the highest employment rate it has ever had, at 71%, noting that proposals such as those from PASOK undermine everything that has been achieved in recent years by workers, businesses, and the government“to reduce unemployment to its lowest levels, to have 600,000 people who were not working in 2019 and are working today, and to gradually climb the European employment rankings.”
Ms. Kerameos noted that there were reactions to this specific proposal, not only from the government but also from PASOK officials who are part of the social partners and took an aggressive stance against it.
“It was this government that legislated the possibility of a four-day workweek. That is, it allows for an agreement between employees and employers to be reached, so that you can actually work four days a week, ten hours a day. Do you know how PASOK voted on this? No. That is, no to the option of a four-day workweek.”
Productivity
Referring to productivity at work, the minister stated that a dialogue with the social partners—that is, the representatives of employees and employers across the country—has been underway for some time, citing the framework of collective bargaining agreements as a relevant example.
“Collective labor agreements—an area where our country was truly lagging behind others. Thanks to the dialogue we have developed with all social partners, we have reached a historic social agreement, which today is leading to the signing of more collective bargaining agreements and wage increases,”he noted, adding that“In this context of dialogue with the social partners, the issue of productivity is the primary topic of discussion.
Productivity at work, however, does not increase through a legislative initiative that simply mandates fewer working hours. Productivity at work increases through investment, hence the incentives provided by both the Ministry of Development and the Ministry of Finance. Productivity, to put it bluntly, does not change with a provision we might introduce saying you work 4 days instead of 5, and suddenly Greece’s productivity takes off—no. It improves through investment, incentives, technology, education, a stable business environment, tax cuts, and so on.”
He also pointed out that the overall productivity of the Greek economy—according to European data—has increasedby 6.4% from 2018 to 2025, which is three times the European average. “I’m not saying we don’t have room for improvement—we have plenty of room for improvement—but we’ve already seen, I’d say, results from the steps being taken, both in terms of investment and incentives.”
Artificial Intelligence
She pointed out that the use of Artificial Intelligence affects the labor market in two ways: The first way is that it leads to increased productivity, provided, of course, that it is combined with horizontal retraining of workers. The second way concerns the social security system, as once certain tasks are performed by machines, the issue of contributions will need to be redefined.
At the same time, Ms. Kerameos emphasized the usefulness of Artificial Intelligence, which can lead to increased productivity.“There are so many jobs that are repetitive. Let’s say you’re in a factory and there’s an employee who places a product onto a wheel.
If Artificial Intelligence can do that and free up that employee to do something more productive, that can lead to a very significant increase in workplace productivity. “Yes, this is not just a provision that says I’ll work Monday through Thursday instead of Monday through Friday, and we think that with a magic wand, productivity in Greece will suddenly rise.”
Regarding the outreach initiative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, Rebrain Greece, the minister noted that a systematic effort has been underway for the past two years, first, to showcase modern Greece abroad, and second, to create a connection between companies operating in our country that are looking to hire valuable talent and Greeks who have moved abroad.
“We’re holding one-day events in various cities abroad where there are large Greek communities; this coming Saturday, May 9, we’ll be in London, joined by 35 major corporate groups operating in Greece that are looking to hire. We expect thousands of Greeks living abroad to attend; at our previous event in London, we had over 1,600 participants.
“The networking opportunity will be unique; you’ll have Greece’s 35 largest companies there. You’ll have high-level executives; you’ll have CEOs in your city. And a great opportunity for networking, ”said Ms. Kerameos, noting that according to Eurostat, from 2010–2011 to 2024–2025, 730,000 Greek citizens left the country and 473,000 have returned, a 64% reversal of the “brain drain.”
Regarding the digital work card, the minister emphasized that it is a tool that plays a catalytic role in recording actual working hours and fostering healthy competition among businesses, adding that“the digital work card protects over 2 million workers.
Last year alone, we had 2.7 million more reported overtime hours compared to the previous year. We are on the verge of a new expansion, following industry, tourism, retail, and the restaurant industry—which we have focused on recently—is now expanding to the entire private healthcare sector, the entire telecommunications sector, cleaning services, hair salons, dry cleaners, and beauty salons.”
Finally, regarding wage levels, Ms. Kerameos pointed out that there are two types of wages in the country: the minimum wage and the average wage.
“The new agreement we signed with the social partners plays a catalytic role in the average wage, which is determined by supply and demand. If we hadn’t had this social dialogue, we wouldn’t have all come together—representatives of workers and employers—to reach this agreement, which paves the way for more collective bargaining agreements.
A new collective agreement for all workers in the hospitality sector was signed under this framework about a month ago. Many of them are on minimum wage. And thanks to this collective agreement, they will see a raise of up to 20%. “Here is a way, without the government intervening, to create a favorable environment that allows for the wage increases that are absolutely necessary in a society currently struggling with the difficulties of daily life and rising prices,”he said.