The reduction of unemployment to 7.9% and the creation of new jobs were at the center of the interview given to SKAI Radio 100.3 by the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameos. As she characteristically noted, “from last year until this year, in one year, 86,000 people found jobs, equivalent to the size of an entire Greek city,” while emphasizing that it is much easier to find a job today than for a business to find an employee.
Referring to the latest data from ELSTAT, Ms. Kerameos stressed that from 2019 to today, unemployment has decreased by 10 percentage points.
Read: Unemployment “monster” defeated – Drops to 7.9% in May after 17 full years
Kerameos: This is the largest unemployment reduction achieved by any EU member state
“This is the largest unemployment reduction achieved by any European Union member state,” she said, clarifying however that “we still have a long way to go.”
“It is important to see the improvement that has been recorded, especially for women, where we were last and, for the first time in our country yesterday, single-digit unemployment among women was recorded,” she added: “To get a sense of the scale, from last year to this year: in one year, 86,000 people found jobs. Do we realize what this means? This is the size of an entire Greek city.”
The minister also noted that a portion of these positions are new jobs. “Today there is no businessman who doesn’t come and say ‘my biggest challenge is how to find employees.’ Let me put it simply? It is much easier to find a job today than for a business to find an employee. The dynamics in the labor market have changed dramatically and this, if you allow me, has led to a very different and much stronger negotiating position and power for the workers themselves. A worker in a country with unemployment at 7.9% is much more powerful, because they have many more options.”
Ministry initiatives to further boost employment
At the same time, Ms. Kerameos referred to the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Labor to further strengthen employment, such as “Career Days,” as well as outreach actions in foreign countries for the repatriation of our compatriots who left, mainly during the years of the economic crisis.
“The labor market has changed a lot, without this meaning that we don’t have work ahead of us. Our job is more difficult now, because I believe it is relatively easier when you try to reduce unemployment from 20% to 18%, rather than from 10% to 8%, because you now reach what we call the hard core of unemployment and it becomes increasingly difficult to further boost employment, to reduce unemployment even more,” the minister emphasized.
What she said about collective bargaining agreements
Responding to the General Confederation of Greek Workers’ (GSEE) accusations that the promoted bill essentially cancels collective bargaining, Ms. Kerameos emphasized: “There are two axes of action. The first is individual labor law, that is, the regulations that exist for the protection of workers and for individual labor law in general. That is, in the individual relationship between a worker and a business. The second axis is collective. That is, how we can push for more Collective Labor Agreements to be concluded, which will cover and protect more workers. Both are in progress and it is our duty to work on both.”
The minister referred specifically to the collective aspect, stating that, at this moment, “we are in a very productive dialogue with all national social partners for about a few months now, with a roadmap for the end of the year. By the end of the year, that is, we hope to have concluded – hopefully all together – on a package of regulations that we can adopt as a State, to encourage the conclusion of Collective Agreements.”
As she said, “we already see the first signs” and referred to the Collective Agreement of workers in metal processing, which was signed after 12 years, the new Collective Labor Agreement of workers in the tobacco industry, as well as the new Collective Labor Agreements for bank employees and tourism workers. “In all these Collective Labor Agreements, what common element exists? The minimum wage provided is higher than the legislatively provided by the state. This was our goal when we institutionalized the minimum wage,” she added.
What she said about the possibility given to employees to work up to 13 hours for the same employer
Regarding the bill’s regulation for the possibility given to employees to work up to 13 hours for the same employer, Ms. Kerameos clarified that the 8-hour workday is Greece’s work basis and remains, responding to criticism as follows: “The criticism says that, in essence, the employer will force the employee to work 13 hours. In a labor market with 7.9% unemployment, with the lowest unemployment in 17 years right now, the negotiating power of workers has no relation to what it was 10 years ago. In any case, it is much more expensive for an employer to hire someone for 13 hours. If you look at it strictly economically, it benefits a businessman to hire a second employee. Why? Because they won’t pay overtime.”
Subsequently, the Labor Minister spoke about facilitating hiring through reducing bureaucracy, emphasizing the following: “Today, based on the existing framework, to make a hire, you need four different documents and I say, why four? Can’t we find a solution to do it in one? To facilitate. Do you need to have many printed forms posted in a business and so on? Why? Since all this information exists digitally?”
Important regulations for strengthening workers
In relation to strengthening workers, Ms. Kerameos highlighted other important regulations, including the four-day work week, making parental leave benefits non-seizable, tax-free and non-transferable, which could not be provided for in a Collective Labor Agreement, as well as the prohibition of salary reduction after implementing the Digital Work Card.
Finally, the Labor Minister also spoke about dialogue with social partners. “I did something that I don’t know who else has done. Before the bill even goes to the Ministerial Council and this is my basic principle, before it even goes to my fellow ministers, I asked to meet with all national social partners and we spent hours with each of the six national social partners, before we even had a text of provisions. I am absolutely open, this dialogue will continue. For this reason, I want to give a lot of time to dialogue. We could bring it now in July, but we’re not bringing it to Parliament in July, because we want there to be plenty of time for dialogue. I am absolutely open to suggestions, thoughts and improvements.”
