According to the recent joint announcement of the Prime Minister of Greece and the Minister of Labour and Social Security, from 1 April 2023 onwards, the statutory minimum wage and the statutory minimum daily wage are determined as follows:
(a) The minimum wage for all employees under a dependent employment relationship is set at €780.00 gross per month.
(b) The minimum daily wage for blue-collar workers is set at €34.84 gross.
The increase in the minimum wage entails an increase in the unemployment benefit, which will be set at €479.00 per month, as of 1 April 2023.
Due to the minimum wage increase, several allowances and benefits based on the minimum wage will also be adjusted. These include, among others, the unemployment benefit for self-employed workers, remuneration rates for new job programmes, the special unemployment benefit, the unemployment benefit for suspension of work, special seasonal benefits for employees in the tourism and catering sector, the special maternity leave allowance, the parental leave allowance, the compensation of students in the Vocational Apprenticeship Schools under the auspices of the OAED, the compensation for work experience programmes, etc.
The recent increase also benefits employees who had completed at least three years of employment on 14 February 2012. These employees will receive an additional payment of up to 30%, depending on the years of service. This means that the gross minimum wage for these employees can reach €1,183 per month, calculated on a 12-month basis, while the annual benefit for these employees, as compared to 2019, will range from €2,002 to €2,366.
