Easter gift – Michailidou: At 415 euros, those who do not give it are illegal – 2024-04-10 19:52:38

The Minister of Labor Domna Michailidou spoke, among others, about the amount of insurance contributions and the imminent implementation of the increase in the minimum wage, as well as the risk of it being “absorbed” by accuracy and inflation.

Mrs. Michailidou, speaking to Ant1, claimed that “so far the increase in prices has not eaten up the increase in wages”, however she stressed that the government, far from happy, can accurately threaten the economic strengthening of households.

For the Easter gift

“The Easter gift is 415 euros and is calculated on top of the new minimum wage of 830 euros. Those employers who do not give the Easter gift of 415 euros are illegal. And we can now see this automatically through ERGANIS where we see and control all payrolls” he noted.

For the maternity allowance

“We extended the maternity allowance to self-employed women, farmers and self-employed women. They now receive a maternity allowance of 830 euros for 9 months, just like the tenants. This is a very important intervention that is equivalent to additional financial support of 6,000 euros per year. These women used to get 250 euros for four months and now they will get 830 euros for nine months. Mothers who are entitled to the allowance can already apply in writing at the DYPA centers and I hope that next week we will be able to activate the required platform for them to submit their applications,” he said according to ot.gr.

For raising the minimum wage, inflation and industry contracts

“We understand that the increase of 50 euros is not enough to cover the needs of a family, let alone those of vulnerable households. We cannot say that we are happy and that there is no problem. But we have to look at where we are. And we are in a situation where the growth in our per capita income is twice that of the whole of Europe. In addition, from 2019 until today, the increase in inflation relative to the increase in both the minimum and the average wage is quite lower. That is, the increase in prices has not “eaten” the increase in wages.

As far as the increase in the minimum wage is concerned, the employers wanted much lower than the one we gave. The employers wanted an increase of 3% to 4%. We proceeded with a 6.4% increase in the minimum wage, taking into account how much the employer, as well as the economy, can withstand. In other words, we maintained a balance so that on the one hand we strengthen the household and on the other hand the household stays in its job, and all this without creating inflationary pressures and inflationary expectations.

The increase directly affects 560,000 of our fellow citizens who work on the minimum wage, all those who receive benefits from DYPA, those who work in active employment programs, those who receive maternity benefits as well as those who are entitled to the three years that were unfrozen at the beginning of the year. Equally important is that today, compared to 2019, the percentage of our fellow citizens working on the minimum wage has decreased to 22% from 27% in 2019. With the new increase in the minimum wage, our country has risen to 11th position among the 22 EU countries which have a minimum wage, higher than Portugal and Malta. As far as sectoral collective agreements are concerned, the council reconvenes so that we include two more categories. One of them is the insurance companies”.

For insurance contributions

“We have already reduced the insurance contributions by 5 points and we have committed to reduce them by another 1 point by the end of our term. However, we must not forget that one unit is equivalent to 400 million euros for the budget. What I can tell you is that we are looking to do something with the ceiling of insurance contributions, in order to bring back high-paid Greeks from abroad and to be able to keep the talents in the country. This is a difficult financial exercise which we are examining in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance”.

For the payments of May pensions and OPECA benefits

“On Thursday, April 25, the main EFKA pensions will be paid and on Monday, April 29, the State pensions will be paid. OPECA benefits, as well as the maternity benefit that increases from 780 to 830 euros, will be paid on the last working day of the month.”

For retroactive gifts and the return of cuts to supplementary pensions

“When the Council of State and the Supreme Court disagree, as in this case, then the Supreme Special Court is competent to decide. What we are doing is to wait for the decision of the Supreme Special Court and as always respect it. Then we’ll see how much we’re paying and we’ll do it as quickly as possible.”