Them effects of accuracy in the standard of living of the workers and, in particular, in the reduction of the consumption of basic foodstuffs, the development course of the wages and working time of the workers, as well as their opinion on the more effective protection of their labor rights, presents the special thematic survey of public opinion , which were published by General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) and the Labor Institute, which is implemented in collaboration with the Alco company and is aimed at private sector workers for the recording-measurement-evaluation of indicators related to the labor market.

Specifically, according to the research findings:

“- 90% of workers say they have reduced their consumption of essential goods because of punctuality. 18% answered “a lot”, “somewhat” 51% and “a little” 21%. Accordingly, 16% say “not at all”. The escalation of consumption reduction is differentiated in the categories of basic goods “refrigeration-heating”, “fish”, “meat”, “dairy”, “fruit-vegetables”.

– The low level of workers’ disposable incomes is highlighted by the fact that 30% declare that they have no savings and, at the same time, 37% are forced to use their savings to cover their current needs to purchase basic goods.

– Regarding the most effective means to protect living standards, 43% state that it is the increase in wages, 33% the reduction of VAT and consumption taxes, 24% price control. The option “allowances” was not selected by any respondent (0%).

– 64% of workers indicate that they did not receive any increase in their salary in the year 2023 and 34% indicate that they received some increase. It is estimated that the vast majority of those who said they received a raise are those who are paid the minimum wage, which increased in the year 2023.

– 52% believe that they will not receive an increase in their salary, after the decision to “unfreeze” the three years and 26% believe that they will. The fact that 22% choose the answer “don’t know” demonstrates the confusion that prevails among employees regarding this particular issue.

– 72% state that they do not work more than their normal hours, while 24% state that they work more.

– 48% of those who report that they work more than their normal hours state that they are not paid for their overtime.

– Finally, the vast majority of employees, with a percentage of 81%, consider that labor rights are better protected by concluding Collective Labor Agreements compared to 9% who choose individual negotiation”.

“The Greek economy and society, after many years of austerity, is facing a “wave” of precision in basic goods and services and income stagnation, which threatens the purchasing power and the standard of living of many working households. It is necessary to immediately implement a mixture of interventions to increase wages and strengthen labor rights, so as to protect the living standards of wage earners and, above all, the lowest paid, as much as possible. The strengthening of the sectoral collective labor agreements and the National General Collective Labor Agreement, through the right of the GSEE and the employers’ organizations to determine the minimum wage, is imperative”, underlines the GSEE.