Greek PM announces increase in minimum wage and unemployment benefits

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has finally announced a long-awaited increase in the minimum wage, as well as an increase in unemployment benefits. “My decision today concerns the low-income and unemployed,” he said in his televised address.

The pre-Easter gift from the Prime Minister on Holy Wednesday is another 50 euros per month (before taxes and deductions). This means that the minimum wage has been increased from 663 euros to 713 euros, effective May 1, 2022.

An increase in benefits will make the unemployed citizens richer by 31 euros per monthc. The monthly allowance is currently 399 euros, and from May 1 it will reach 430 euros. Unemployment benefit is granted only for one year.

According to the Prime Minister, the increase in the minimum wage corresponds to a 9.7% increase compared to 2021.

“To put it simply, almost 650,000 employees in this category will receive more than an additional (net) salary per year. From now on, the 15th salary is added to their income,” Mitsotakis stressed.

He said this minimum wage increase initiative is “reaching the extreme limits of the economy”, but he also added that the private sector “enterprises have received a lot of support from his government with lower taxes and fees, and subsidies to cover the increased cost of energy. “.

The prime minister said that “unemployment is falling rapidly, by as much as 5% over the past 33 months, despite successive crises.” He added that in June the state will begin to further reduce social contributions by half a unit. He expressed sympathy to all those citizens who told him that it was difficult for them to cope with rising prices, and wished everyone a happy Easter!

PS I have no idea why everyone is now scolding the Greek Prime Minister on social networks. One argued that “€50 a month is enough to fill a car halfway”, another argued that “€713 is just an electricity bill adjustment clause”. The third Greek is still considering where to spend the extra 1.80 euros dirty or 1.50 euros clean per day … And the fourth scratches his head and remembers that they used to give doro for Easter (like 13-14 salaries), and now they gave it again, but with a bunch of self-promotion from the prime minister…

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