Developments surrounding the Pizza Fan case and what lies ahead for the company’s employees were at the centre of an interview given by Labour and Social Security Minister Niki Kerameos on SKAI TV.
Kerameos confirmed that, of the company’s entire workforce, only 550 are registered with the parent company, while the rest work at franchise outlets. She also said the Labour Inspectorate had carried out 165 inspections at Pizza Fan over the past two years and imposed fines of more than €730,000.
Protecting workers is the priority
The minister reiterated that protecting workers is the absolute priority. As all employment contracts are currently in force, the employer is obliged to pay outstanding wages and social security contributions.
“I am pleased to have been informed that payments of outstanding wages to Pizza Fan employees have begun,” the minister said.
She said the ministry was closely monitoring developments and was in talks with representatives of both the workers and the employer. It had also requested a meeting with representatives of the workers and management, which has been scheduled for next Tuesday.
Digital Work Card to be extended to 500,000 more workers
Kerameos said the Digital Work Card would be extended to a further 500,000 workers in October and November.
“It will now protect 2.5 million workers. New sectors are being included, such as private healthcare, telecommunications, repairs, dry cleaners, hairdressers and logistics,” she said.
She noted that 2.7 million more overtime hours were recorded last year following the introduction of the Digital Work Card, compared with the previous year, which, she said, meant more money for workers.
“Our aim is to make the labour market fairer and ensure that workers are paid for the time they work, while protecting fair competition,” she added.
The minister added that the Digital Work Card generated significant revenue for social security funds and helped create fiscal space to address injustices, such as cuts to survivors’ pensions, which have been abolished.
New measures for working parents
Asked about the new provisions being put forward to make life easier for working parents, Kerameos said they included:
Removing the time limit between the two periods of parental leave.
Greater flexibility for working parents employed by the same company to take their leave.
Removing the six-month employment requirement for taking carer’s leave.
“This is an effort to provide even more support to working parents. We are working harder and harder to make it easier to balance family, personal and professional life,” she said.
Bill on artificial intelligence at work
The minister explained that the provisions were part of a bill to be presented to the Cabinet on Monday, aimed at curbing the unregulated use of artificial intelligence in the labour market.
She said that for platform workers, every aspect of their working relationship is determined by an algorithm, without them knowing which parameters it takes into account. Under the proposed provisions, the process would be made transparent, while critical decisions, such as ending a working relationship, would require human oversight.
“We are setting limits, a safety net to protect workers in the context of artificial intelligence. AI is a good thing, but it also carries very significant risks. The Greek state is now bringing forward legislation based on a European directive to say: yes, yes to AI — it helps us a great deal — but with rules,” she said.
Subsidy for remote work in mountainous areas
Speaking about the programme for paid remote work for people in mountainous areas, the minister said the unemployment rate stood at 7.6%, its lowest level in 18 years. She said targeted measures were being pursued to bring it down further.
“Who is still out of work? One example is our fellow citizens who live in regional areas, in the country’s mountainous and remote municipalities. So what did we think? We want to encourage these people to stay where they are, if they wish. But they need a decent job,” she said.
Under the programme, she said, a business that hires a remote worker from a mountainous and remote area will receive a subsidy for one year, covering 90% of the salary and social security contributions.
Munich is the next stop for Rebrain Greece
Finally, Kerameos said the next stop for “Rebrain Greece” would be Munich on 28 November.
“473,000 Greek citizens have already returned, out of the 770,000 who left during the crisis years — reversing about 62% of the brain drain,” she said.