The Ministry of Labor’s bill on equal pay for men and women for the same work or work of equal value was approved by a majority vote of the relevant parliamentary committee. New Democracy lawmakers supported the bill, while most opposition parties reserved judgment on their final position pending the debate and vote in the plenary session.
Labor Minister Niki Kerameos criticized this stance by the opposition parties, stating: “To date, not a single opposition party has said it will vote in favor of transposing the European directive on equal pay for women and men. Not a single party. Except for New Democracy. It seems inconceivable to me—on an issue that we all agree on here in the corridors—that in the year 2026, it would be inconceivable for a woman to be paid less than a man for the same job, with the same responsibilities and the same qualifications.”
Ms. Kerameos—as part of the debate on the bill—also presented some recent data regarding the labor market. According to the minister, there was a record high in the balance of salaried employment flows.
“This is the most positive balance, and to be precise, 332,843,000 new jobs represent the highest figure for the first five months of the year from 2001 to the present—that is, over the last 25 years,” Ms. Kerameos emphasized.
She also recalled that the government has committed to ensuring that the average wage will exceed €1,500 by 2027. “As we speak, a year ahead of schedule, we’ve already reached an average wage of €1,528,” she emphasized.
Finally, he also referred to the Labor Inspectorate, which is now an independent authority.
“The Labor Inspectorate is truly doing a titanic job. Right now, it has one of the best staffing levels in its history. As for inspections, let me tell you that 2025 was a record year for the Labor Inspectorate, with 82,412 inspections, 17,556 penalties, and fines exceeding 53 million—an all-time record,” the Minister of Labor concluded.