The new Collective Bargaining Agreements being signed, as well as the upcoming event, to be held in Brussels <\/b>with the participation of the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis,<\/b> on the importance of the National Social Agreement,<\/b> were the main focus of the interview with the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameos, <\/b>on ERT television.<\/p>\n
Ms. Kerameos referred to the processes <\/b>that led to the signing <\/b>the National Social Agreement between the government <\/b>and the national social partners, <\/b>with the aim of increasing the number of Collective Bargaining Agreements.<\/p>\n
As he clarified, the negotiations <\/b>lasted approximately nine to ten months <\/b>and, in mid-February, the National Social Agreement was passed by the Parliament<\/b>. \u201cA month later, the new Collective Bargaining Agreements<\/b> began to be implemented\u2014what do they actually mean in practice?Wage increases<\/b>, said the minister, who cited as an example the Collective Labor Agreement in the catering sector<\/b>, \u201cwhich had been stalled for a long time, was finally resolved <\/b>thanks to the Social Agreement and has already been extended to 400,000 workers<\/b> in the hospitality sector.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms. Kerameos also mentioned another very recent signing of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement in the sector of food technologists, <\/b>for the first time in 15 years.<\/b> As she noted, the new Collective Bargaining Agreement covers up to 2,500 people in a sector<\/b> that had also been stagnant in terms of signing Collective Bargaining Agreements.<\/p>\n
Regarding the event <\/b>to be held in Brussels <\/b>with the participation of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Employment, Roxana Minzatu <\/b>, and the Minister, Ms. Kerameos explained that the goal is to highlight the Greek example of<\/b>Social Agreement on Collective Agreements as a model to be emulated<\/b> for Europe and all European member states.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will discuss in depth<\/b> how this Social Agreement was achieved in Greece and what an example it sets overall for Europe <\/b>in terms of social dialogue,\u201d stated Ms. Kerameos, adding: \u201cWhere were we a year ago when we were discussing here just how far behind Greece really is in this area <\/b>and lacks a culture of social dialogue, and how in just one year this picture is changing dramatically <\/b>and suddenly Greece, despite the problems and the difficulties we face in our daily lives, is emerging as a model in a sector where, objectively speaking, it lacked a culture of social dialogue <\/b>for many, many years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regarding the Digital Work Card, <\/b>the minister emphasized that the pilot implementation <\/b>has begun in new sectors, such as private healthcare, employment services, telecommunications<\/b> and smaller businesses, such as dry cleaners, hair salons, and funeral homes<\/b>, while, by the end of the month, advertising <\/b>agencies, consulting firms, and logistics<\/b> companies\u2014among others\u2014are expected to be added, with the number of employees covered by the card\u2014once its use becomes mandatory in these sectors this fall\u2014expected to reach 2.5 million.<\/b><\/p>\n
As he emphasized, \u201cThe Digital Work Card yields very significant results in three areas. <\/b>First, it boosts workers\u2019 incomes <\/b>because all overtime <\/b>is now recorded, ensuring that you are paid for that overtime. Second, it promotes healthy competition <\/b> among businesses, because there are companies that do everything by the book and pay their contributions, and others that do not do everything by the book; and the latter distort competition. Third, revenue <\/b>for social security funds increases, because as revenue in the social security funds rises, so does the so-called fiscal space, on the basis of which we can give back to society,\u201d noted Ms. Kerameos.<\/p>\n
Subsequently, the minister referred to the subsidized employment program for unemployed people aged 55 <\/and older and its upcoming expansion, stating that it is a program aimed at unemployed people aged 55 and older. \u201cIt\u2019s true that if you find yourself out of work at this age, it becomes increasingly difficult to re-enter the labor market. So, as the government, what are we saying? We are subsidizing employment for the unemployed aged 55 and older, who very often are just a few years short of meeting the retirement requirements. "In the coming weeks, as we finalize the details, we will have news soon regarding a further extension of this program," he clarified.<\/p>\n