“This bill has been dictated by the special momentum that the labor market has developed in recent years. A dynamic that does not allow us complacency, but motivates us to actions and arrangements in favor of workers, “said Labor Minister Niki Kerameos during her placement on the bill” Fair Work for All: Simplification of Legislation – Support for Employee – Protection In Practitioner “.

Mrs Kerameos announced that there would be more than 60 additions to be incorporated into the bill until tomorrow, according to proposals by bodies and parties. Among them, there will be an “explicit prediction that for the possibility of overtime of 13 hours all the protective restrictions on working and resting should be respected. Over six improvements suggested by ESMA will be added. Proposals by the Association of Security Technicians, as well as a series of proposals for the improvement of the House Scientific Service.

The minister rejected opposition critical reports of “Middle Ages in the Labor Market” saying “when was the situation better when we had 18% unemployment in 2019 or with 8% unemployment in 2025. The labor market was better when the minimum wage was 650 euros in 2019 or with a minimum of 880 euros in Four years? When we didn’t have new jobs or now that we have over 500,000 new jobs and with the last 8 months having a record with 317,000 new jobs, as it appears in the retirement – recruitment balance?

Ms. Kerameos also focuses on the qualitative elements of the labor that full -time employment in the country was 69% and is now over 76%. The average salary has already increased by 28.3% and a new increase is expected. The largest decrease in insurance contributions in EU Member State has been reported by 5.5 points and a further reduction by half a unit in 2027 is also expired. ” ΄

We have said the minister “about 2,000,000 workers to be protected from the digital work card, which only in the first 8 months of 2025 resulted in the 1.8 million overtime being recorded and rewarded” than last year “

In the area of ​​wage labor, Ms Kerameos said that “Greece based on European data is below the average European term in working hours of an employee” in particular, only 3.1% of employees in our country are what worked in 2024 more than 49 hours a week when the European average is 3.4%. Regarding criticisms for workers who have gone for work abroad, the minister noted that of the 680,000 who left the crisis, but 420,000 of our compatriots have returned, 65% according to Eurostat and last year’s balanced balance was positive.

Mrs Kerameos said this draft law is moving on three axes. The former has the positive arrangements for employees, the second the arrangements that facilitate businesses to open new jobs and the third is the modernization of the institutional framework.

Focusing on the article on a 13 -hour work on an employer, the minister blasted the opposition that “it is fraudulently suggesting that every employee in the country will work 13 hours every day of the year, but this is not the case and you know it very well, you just mislead society” This may not exceed 37 days a year and the other additional protective rules in force, the employee’s consent for this additional work is required, and it is also clear that refusal of overtime cannot lead to dismissal or any harmful change or discrimination.

The minister estimated that the criticism of 13 hours of work would fall as they fell as to what you said about the 6th day of work, which this arrangement applied 0.1% of businesses.

Mrs Kerameos also responded to “which workers are the ones who are asking for more hours of work” saying that this is shown in the collective agreement deposited by hotels in the Heraklion Prefecture with the relevant Hoteliers Association, as well as in the contract between employees in the hotels of the Prefecture of Chania.

The corresponding collective agreement between employees and hoteliers in Rhodes is requested on both the 6th and 7th day of the week, which was illegal and was not ratified. The minister, in fact, filed with other such contracts, where the employees themselves are the ones who seek opportunities for more hours of work.

Regarding the controls on the labor market, the minister said that in 2019 the labor inspection was made 59,000 controls, while in 2024 79,000 checks were carried out (20,000 more). In 2019, total fines were EUR 44 million and in 2024 amounted to € 49 million. Ms Kerameos also criticized SYRIZA and the new left that during their rule, and “they did not find time to ratify the ILO protocol against slavery at work, today they appear as defenders of workers’ rights.”

The Minister for the revenue of EFKA said we had found that there was very little money from overtime, overtime, night and holiday contributions, and so we suggested that there were a healthy incentive. The result, Ms. Kerameos said was to have a +48% increase in employee earnings, +43% increase in insurance funds.

The minister reiterated all the positive arrangements of the bill by providing detailed clarifications and directly asked the opposition parties “Do you all say that they are strengthening employers?” And he added that “I will expect the nominal vote to see everyone in place!”

Responding to observations and comments of the opposition parliamentary representatives, Ms. Kerameos called on not to insist on reports of an increase in accidents at work, as Eurostat data were given today, where Greece is in the third best position in the EU of 27 with the least workplace accidents and we hope to have the least. The employee, the minister opposed when unemployment is at 8% today, has a much stronger job in the labor market.

For the days when it is considered an unjustified absence as a voluntary departure of the employee, Mrs Kerameos said that somewhere this should be defined. Positive arrangements for the pensioners’ work said were the result because of the 34,000 pensioners who declared their work, we have been found in 253,000 pensioners – which generates very significant revenue to state funds for labor that was not declared.

A measure, as Ms. Kerameos said, is now copying Germany while France and Finland have requested similar information. The minister said that all the positive arrangements for parents concern and respond to what we do and the demographic. Ilo pointed out Mrs Kerameos that she welcomed the sanctions of the three contracts made in this bill.