By decision of the official Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Patrina Paparrigopoulou published in the Official Gazette (B’ 3942-17.6.2023) the Collective Labor Agreement (CLA) signed on June 12, 2023 between the “Panhellenic Federation of Workers in the Food and Tourism Industry” (POEET) and the employers’ organizations “Panhellenic Federation of Restaurants and Related Professions” (POESE), “Federation of Professional Confectioners of Greece” (OEZE) and the “General Confederation of Professional Craft Traders of Greece” (GSEVEE).

It was preceded by the opinion of the Supreme Labor Council (ASE) which met on June 15, 2023 under the chairmanship of the General Secretary of Labor Relations Anna Stratinaki and found that the legal conditions are met.

Given that the extension of the SSE was a common request of both sides (employers and workers in the tourism-food industry), the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and its services responded with great speed, taking into account that the tourist season has begun and in order to cover those employees who are not bound by the SSE, without a significant time elapsing from the expiry of the previous sectoral Agreement which was also declared mandatory.

Like the previous corresponding collective agreement, the new SSE that was extended immediately establishes the five-day work system. It is noted that there is an explicit provision that in the event that employees are employed more than five days a week, they will be paid one extra day for each working day, with a 75% surcharge in the event that this is a Sunday or holiday.

The SSE covers the restaurants, cafes as well as the distributors who are connected by a contract of dependent labor with the above shops, that is to say, in total it concerns – based on the data of the past years which in fact show an increasing trend – about 430,000 workers.

The duration of the Agreement is two years and applies retroactively from March 1, 2023 for the members of the organizations that signed it, while for the rest from the day of publication of the Ministerial Decision in the Official Gazette.

The Convention provides for wages higher than the national minimum wage (from 815 to 1,017 euros gross), with an increase of 4.5% to 5.5% from June compared to the wages of the previous SSE. From June 2024 there will be a further 5% increase in the structured basic wages, while a series of percentage allowances such as marriage, tourism education, potential unhealthy work are defined.