Implementation of the new legislative framework on equal pay for men and women and pay transparency was at the centre of a meeting of the SEV General Council on Monday 9 November 2026, attended by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Niki Kerameus.
The discussion focused on the changes Law 5316/2026 will bring for businesses. The law transposes the EU directive on pay transparency and equal pay for men and women. The meeting also addressed the practical challenges of implementing the new obligations, as well as the conditions needed to achieve the legislation’s aims in practice.
SEV consistently supports the principle of equal pay for the same work or work of equal value, regardless of gender, and recognises the importance of pay transparency in promoting equality in the labour market, the statement said. At the same time, it stressed that achieving the aims of the new legislation requires a clear, workable and proportionate implementation framework that takes account of the different ways businesses are organised and operate, while limiting additional bureaucracy and the administrative cost of compliance.
In the discussion, particular emphasis was placed on the need for:
- clear and consistent implementation rules, particularly on defining categories of workers performing the same work or work of equal value, calculating pay differences and assessing the objective factors that justify differences in pay,
- timely provision of practical guidance and support tools for businesses to facilitate compliance and ensure that data are reliable and comparable,
- limiting the additional administrative burden by making use of businesses’ existing systems and procedures,
- making use of collective labour agreements and existing pay systems based on objective, gender-neutral criteria.
Members of the General Council also had the opportunity to discuss broader labour market developments and labour policy priorities with the Minister of Labour. Particular attention was given to the new legislative framework for occupational pension funds, as well as issues related to boosting employment and productivity, improving the functioning of the labour market and creating a modern, competitive working environment.
SEV President Spyros Theodoropoulos said that SEV and its member companies support the goal of equal pay for men and women and the introduction of a stronger transparency framework.
At the same time, however, we have highlighted, at both European and national level, that the practical implementation of this directive, and consequently of the relevant law, entails a significant increase in bureaucratic procedures, documentation requirements, data collection and reporting.
For small and medium-sized businesses in particular, the new requirements create a disproportionate administrative and financial compliance burden, tying up resources that could otherwise be directed towards investment, innovation and productivity improvements more broadly.
Since the bill was first put out for consultation, we have been in dialogue with the Minister of Labour, and we recognise that many of our proposals on simplification and flexibility, as well as on the key instrument of collective labour agreements, have been incorporated into the law.
The labour market, however, needs time, guidance, practical tools that are broadly accepted, and ongoing feedback involving the national social partners and the Ministry of Labour to ensure the new legislation is implemented effectively.
The Minister of Labour and Social Security, Niki Kerameus, said: Unemployment has now fallen to 7.6% from 18% in 2019, one of the largest declines recorded in any European Union member state.
Male unemployment is below the EU average, while youth unemployment is at the average. There is, however, significant scope to improve employment among women. This translates into more than 560,000 jobs created over the past roughly seven years.
Full-time employment has risen to almost 79%, and the minimum wage has increased to €920, with a further rise due next April. At the same time, efforts to reduce social security contributions are ongoing. The better our country’s economy performs, the more fiscal space it creates to return a dividend to society through cuts to taxes and social security contributions.
We are focusing strongly on training for workers, subsidised employment programmes, reforming unemployment benefits, implementing the Digital Work Card and speeding up procedures for recruiting workers from abroad.
Co-operation between the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the national social partners — including SEV — is at its strongest ever. Implementation of the EU directive on equal pay and pay transparency, which was discussed at today’s meeting of the SEV General Council, is an area where dialogue with the social partners and clear information for businesses are particularly important.
In the same spirit of co-operation, we invite SEV and all other interested parties to make use of the Ministry’s initiatives, including DYPA employment support programmes, Career Days and Rebrain Greece, to help find workers.