Filenews 5 January 2026 - by Angelos Angelodimou
We may still be in the midst of a festive season, our country may have assumed the presidency of the European Council on the 1st of this year, the processes for the upcoming parliamentary elections are on fire and political developments are running, but these are not the only concerns of the President of the Republic. The revision of the minimum wage, one of the biggest labour issues that the current government has had to manage, does not seem to end even after the issuance of last week's decree.
The trade unions appear to be very annoyed with the government's decisions and do not seem willing to wait another two years until the next revision of the minimum wage, so that their demands can be implemented. Within the week – probably today – a request will be sent to the Presidential Office for a meeting of the three trade unions, SEK, PEO and DEOK with the President of the Republic in order to put the issues on the table at the highest level. At the same time as the request for a meeting, a memorandum will be sent, with the positions of the unions on four basic labour issues, among which will of course be that of the minimum wage.
On the other hand, it should be pointed out that the employer side will not remain a mere spectator of developments. After all, the two employers' organizations, CCCI and OEB, have in turn expressed their dissatisfaction with the level of the minimum wage, considering it quite high. However, in case there is any change upwards, after the interventions of the trade unions, then a strong reaction from the employer side should be expected.
In particular, in relation to the issue of the minimum wage, the trade unions emphasize that despite the issuance of the decree, there is a possibility of changes if there is political will. Therefore, in the event that their request for a meeting with the President is accepted, the unions will go to the Presidential Palace with the aim of making these changes immediately. The three points they will put to the President, regarding the minimum wage, are: (a) The amount of the salary, (b) the decision for non-hourly remuneration and (c) the amount to be in line with the agreements made within the framework of collective agreements.
At the same time, in addition to the request for a meeting, a relevant memorandum will be sent with the positions of the unions on four main labour issues. (a) The first, as mentioned, is the minimum wage. (b) The second is the issue of foreign workers from third countries, with the trade unions noting that the employer side is implementing the agreement that has been reached as they see fit, with the result, as they claim, in a complete deregulation of the labour market in certain sectors of the economy. (c) Next, the issue of the extension of collective agreements to more sectors of economic activity and the interconnection of the submission of tenders for public projects with the implementation by the employer of collective agreements. (d) Finally, the immediate promotion of the Ergani 2 system, which will bring about better and more comprehensive control over the labour market and will drastically reduce any illegalities.
As far as the employer side is concerned, it is expected that around the middle of the month the two organizations will have their own meetings to determine their next steps. However, the stigma of their positions has already been given with OEB warning of a knock-on effect on the economy, explaining that the increase in the minimum in this number will also result in an increase in prices, but will also cause viability problems for several businesses. After all, as already mentioned, the minimum may have been set at €1,088, but the cost for the employer reaches €1,255 per month.
