Hatzidakis: Amendment on minimum wage to be tabled in Parliament soon

Labor and Social Affairs Minister Kostis Hatzidakis on Tuesday announced that he intends to table an amendment in Parliament in the coming days on the timetable of the deliberations with the social partners and experts regarding the minimum wage.

The government is examining the prospect of raising the minimum monthly wage to €780 from the current €713 level to offset rising inflation.

“As we did last year, a balanced solution will be found that will lead to a substantial and fair increase of the minimum wage, which will combine two parameters: on one hand the pressure on households and on the other the competitiveness and resilience of businesses, which are also suffering as a result of the international crisis,” the minister said.

On unemployment, he said that the government managed to bring the jobless rate down from 17.5%, when it took office, to 11.4% today.

“This 6.1 pct drop was not automatic but the result of the tax, fiscal, labour and insurance policy of the government,” he said. [AMNA]