The new collective bargaining agreements being signed, as well as the upcoming event in Brussels featuring Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the importance of the National Social Agreement, were the main focus of the interview with Minister of Labor and Social Security Niki Kerameos on ERT television.
Ms. Kerameos referred to the processes that led to the signing of the National Social Agreement between the government and national social partners with the aim of increasing collective bargaining agreements. As she explained, the negotiations lasted approximately nine to ten months, and in mid-February, the National Social Agreement was passed by Parliament.
“A month later, the new collective bargaining agreements began to emerge—what do they actually mean in practice? Wage increases,” said the minister, who cited as an example the collective bargaining agreement in the restaurant industry, “which had been stalled for a long time, was unblocked thanks to the Social Agreement, and has already been extended to 400,000 restaurant workers.”
Ms. Kerameos also referred to another very recent signing of a new collective bargaining agreement in the food technology sector, the first in 15 years. As she noted, the new collective bargaining agreement covers up to 2,500 people in a sector that had also been stagnant in terms of signing collective agreements.
Regarding the event to be held in Brussels with the participation of the Prime Minister, European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for Employment Roxana Minzatu, and the Minister, the minister explained that the goal is to highlight the Greek example of the Social Agreement on collective agreements as a model for Europe and all European Union member states to follow.
“We will discuss in detail how this Social Agreement was achieved in Greece and what an example it sets for Europe as a whole, particularly regarding social dialogue,” said the minister.
“Where were we a year ago, when here on your show we were discussing how far behind Greece really is in this area and lacks a culture of social dialogue, and how in just one year this picture has changed completely, and suddenly Greece, despite the problems, despite the difficulties we face in our daily lives, is emerging as a model in an area where, objectively speaking, it did not have—I would say—a culture of social dialogue for many, many years."
Regarding the digital work card, the minister noted that a pilot program has begun in new sectors such as private healthcare, employment services, telecommunications, and in smaller businesses such as dry cleaners, hair salons, funeral homes.
By the end of the month, advertising agencies, consulting firms, and logistics companies, among others, are expected to be added. The number of employees covered by the card starting this fall, when its implementation becomes mandatory in these sectors, is expected to reach 2.5 million.
“The digital work card delivers very significant results in three areas. First, it boosts workers’ incomes, because all overtime is now recorded and ensures that you are paid for that overtime. Second, it promotes healthy competition among businesses, because companies that do everything by the book and pay their contributions, compared to those that do not, the latter distort competition. Third, revenue for the social security funds increases, because as revenue for the social security funds increases, so does the so-called fiscal space, which allows us to give back to society,” emphasized Ms. Kerameos.
The minister then referred to the subsidized employment program for unemployed people aged 55 and older and its upcoming expansion, stating that: “This is a program aimed at unemployed people aged 55 and older. It is true that if you find yourself out of work at this age, it becomes increasingly difficult to re-enter the labor market. So, as the government, what are we saying?
We are subsidizing employment for the unemployed aged 55 and older, who, as you quite rightly pointed out earlier, are often just a few years short of meeting the retirement requirements. In the coming weeks, as we finalize the details, we will have news soon regarding a further extension of this program.”
Regarding the employment program for our fellow citizens with disabilities in municipalities and regions across the country, Ms. Kerameos added: “We are also running another program for our fellow citizens with disabilities. This is also a vulnerable demographic group, which—let’s be honest—faces barriers to accessing employment, and that is why our job is to remove these barriers and facilitate their access to the labor market. And that is why we have established a new employment program for our fellow citizens with disabilities, which has so far served two thousand of our fellow citizens with disabilities and was recently expanded last week to include another thousand, bringing the total to 3,000 of our fellow citizens with disabilities who can work in municipalities and regions across the country.”
Regarding the ministry’s new bill on equal pay for women and men for work of equal value, the minister commented that: “It is currently under public consultation, which concludes tomorrow, and we will then incorporate the feedback and proceed with the bill in Parliament. To put it in a single sentence, here’s what this bill does.
It has a basic principle: that your pay should be determined by your work and your value, not by your gender. Your gender can never play a role in your pay. So, everything equal? Everyone gets equal pay? Of course not. If the two of us work at a company and you’re much better, have more years of experience, and have better degrees, of course you’ll be paid more.
But what does the bill, which is based on a European directive, actually say? That if the two of us have exactly the same job, the same responsibilities, and the same qualifications, then I cannot be paid 20% less simply because I am a woman. We still have a wage gap of 13% in Greece and 11% in Europe. In other words, on average, women are paid 13% less than men in Greece. This must be eliminated.”