economy

Since then, almost three salaries have been added to the remuneration, the Prime Minister noted. I am under no illusions, wages are still low and pressured by inflation. I hear it from young men and women. The new increase does not solve the problem but provides a relief and indicates our intention to strengthen the pay.

The prime minister's position in detail:

"Good morning, today the government is proceeding with the third consecutive increase in the minimum wage, by 9.4%. So from April 1, it will reach 780 euros from the 650 euros - I remember - that was in 2019. Which means that since then almost three additional salaries have been added annually to the income of approximately 600,000 workers.

The new increase will obviously take with it unemployment benefits and all the benefits associated with the minimum wage. The Minister of Labor will talk about all this in detail shortly.

I have no illusions. I know, we know that in our country wages are still low, and they are further squeezed by imported inflation. It's something I hear all the time, especially from young people, who are struggling to make ends meet.

This new increase obviously does not solve the problem. Certainly, however, it offers a very important relief and mainly declares our intention to upgrade salaries, both in the Public and Private sectors.

I want to emphasize that the final amount that has been agreed is at the upper limit of our possibilities. It is, however, within the capabilities of businesses, which - I want to remind - were so supported by the Greek government during the pandemic.

At the same time, the national economy remains in a strong growth dynamic, unemployment is steadily declining, taxes are still being reduced. Now, therefore, is the time to support workers with a brave increase in basic pay, because the dividend of growth must be reaped fairly by all."