The Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameos, to comment on Alexis Tsipras’s initiative to found a new party, in an interview on the ERTnews program “SYNDESIS.”
“We saw a very nice setting, we saw a very nice performance, but the content is exactly the same. In other words, to put it in a single sentence, ‘Manolios changed and dressed differently,’” Ms. Kerameos emphasized.
She also stated that she listened with great interest as he spoke about restoring our country’s international prestige.
“Have we forgotten what we went through? Have we forgotten that we were on the brink of disaster? That they were about to kick us out of the Eurozone? Have we forgotten all of that? Have we forgotten that we stood in line for 60 euros at ATMs and for gasoline? It’s as if a collective amnesia has suddenly set in,” the minister remarked.
At the same time, she criticized Mr. Tsipras for his choice to describe a “labor dark age.” “Should I remind him that, during his time in office, the minimum wage was 650 euros? Today, it is 920 euros. Should I remind him that, during his time in office, unemployment stood at 18%? Today, it is 10 percentage points lower at 8%, and there are demographic groups, such as women, where we have reached single-digit female unemployment for the first time. “The largest reduction in unemployment ever achieved,” Ms. Kerameos emphasized.
The minister also focused on Mr. Tsipras’s remark that someone is preparing to leave the country.
“But, speaking of abroad, remember the hundreds of thousands who left between 2015 and 2019, and now, at this very moment, two out of three have returned. 473,000 Greek citizens have returned from abroad,” the minister stated, citing official Eurostat data.
Ms. Kerameos also commented on Mr. Tsipras’s reference to unpaid work.
“Which government introduced the Digital Work Card, which today protects over 2 million workers, and I must tell you that we are on the verge of a new expansion next week. So, more workers will be protected. Where was all this before? When we suddenly introduced the Digital Work Card and saw a 1,200% increase in reported overtime across sectors—just think about a 1,200% increase—how? With the Digital Work Card, which this government introduced.
“So, how can Mr. Tsipras talk about working hours that don’t exist, when this was happening during his time in office?” Ms. Kerameos asked.
Regarding the new expansion of the Digital Work Card, the minister noted that the next sectors to be added are healthcare (excluding private doctors), telecommunications, cleaning services, as well as services such as hair salons and dry cleaners.
In fact, responding to a question about working conditions in tourism and the restaurant industry ahead of the summer, she emphasized the value of the Digital Work Card, which will soon protect over 2.5 million workers, while also highlighting the intensive inspections by the Labor Inspectorate, as well as the hefty fine of 10,500 euros for undeclared work.
When asked about a possible further reduction in social security contributions, Ms. Kerameos replied that there will be a further reduction of half a percentage point in social security contributions starting January 1, 2027.
“This has already been announced, has already been budgeted for, and is therefore moving toward implementation; in fact, with this half-point reduction, we will now reach a total reduction of 6 percentage points in social security contributions,” she clarified.
Regarding the bill on equal pay for men and women for the same work or work of equal value, which was presented yesterday to the cabinet, the minister commented that it is inconceivable that in 2026 we are still debating whether gender should influence an employee’s pay, adding that “and yet there are still unjustifiable wage disparities. You have a man and a woman doing the same job, with the same qualifications, and the data show that, on average, the woman may be paid 13% less than the man. 13% in Greece, 11.1% in Europe.”
Ms. Kerameos pointed out that the European Directive, which the bill incorporates, imposes obligations in two stages: before hiring and after hiring.
“Before hiring, it establishes three new key obligations. The first is that all job postings must be gender-neutral. In other words, you cannot post an ad saying, ‘I am looking for a woman.’ The second is that, before the interview, the company must disclose either the exact salary offered for the position or the salary range, so that the candidate knows exactly what salary range we’re talking about. The third point is that the company is not permitted to ask the candidate about previous earnings, and various obligations apply for the post-hiring phase, that is, during the employment relationship. If I work in an accounting department and there are five cashier positions, for example, and in the position where I work, there is also a man employed, whom I suspect is earning more money, I have the right to more information. I can request details on how my own pay is determined and how the overall pay structure is established.”
The minister also highlighted a provision of the bill that our country has added in relation to the Directive, stating: “We have stated that, if there is a Collective Bargaining Agreement—whether at the company level or in the sector—it is presumed, that is, it is considered that, in principle, there are no unjustified wage disparities. Thus, we are sending a clear signal in favor of concluding Collective Agreements and regarding compliance with the European Directive. ‘So, why are we doing this? Because we want more and more Collective Agreements.’”
Ms. Kerameos then referred to the heavy and unhealthy work classifications, which now include nurses, nursing assistants, drivers, and ambulance attendants from the National Health System (ESY) and the National Ambulance Service (EKAV), emphasizing: “We are standardizing the framework and asking: Are you a nurse? Whether in the public or private sector—that is, whether in a private facility, the National Health System (ESY), or the National Ambulance Service (EKAV)—the retirement requirements are now the same.
That is, you can retire at age 62, provided you have at least 15 years of insurance coverage and 12 years in this specialty, and we grant you the same rights to buy back insurance time, exactly as they apply to nurses in the private sector.
So, first of all, we’re sending a signal to make a sector that’s absolutely critical more attractive, and second, and very importantly, we’re righting a wrong. Do you know how many decades this demand has been around? Many decades—30 years—because there was precisely this imbalance between the private and public sectors, and now we are stepping in to resolve this imbalance and rectify an injustice regarding this very critical professional group.”
SOURCE: APE