“The government is actually responding to the citizens’ problems,” the Deputy Minister of the Interior told SKAI and the program “Kalimera” and Giorgos Autias. Stelios Petsas, on the occasion of the increase in the minimum wage.

“The important thing is that there is a 12.4% increase in the average salary, in a very difficult situation, with a pandemic, with an energy crisis, with very important issues. And yet, the average salary has increased significantly and will increase further. Because the prime minister’s commitment is clear: the next four years will be characterized by an increase in wages because even today wages are still at low levels”.

For civil servants, Mr. Petsas underlined that “in 2023, the foundations are laid for a new salary, which had entered the bed of procrustes in November 2011, when then we had the reduction of the salary for all categories of employees. The new salary scale will be implemented from 2024”

On the occasion of the abolition of the levy, Mr. Petsas emphasized that “the rationalization of reservations is a key pillar for the robustness of the insurance system, but mainly for the relief of citizens. The abolition of the 1% is added to the abolition of the special solidarity levy for civil servants and is a first step in increasing the salaries of civil servants”.

“We are a government that believes in reducing taxes and we have put it into practice. We have reduced income tax, ENFIA, insurance contributions, a series of taxes that were unsustainable, with the abolition of the solidarity contribution symbolizing an exit from the more than ten-year crisis and the emergency measures that were imposed”, added Mr. Petsas, pointing out that “Even braver wage support is needed. The prime minister has said this many times and it is a key element of both the path to the elections and the stakes afterwards. Kyriakos Mitsotakis is the guarantee for the increase in net salaries, just as he is the guarantee for the course of the Greek economy in a very difficult international situation”

Asked about the date of the elections, Mr. Petsas replied that “the constitutional upper limit of the elections is the date of the 2019 elections, July 7”, while regarding the polls he argued that “the measurements that have seen the light of day reflect the wrath of the world.”

Regarding a post-election cooperation with KINAL, Mr. Petsas said: “I hope that Mr. Androulakis will change the opinion he had in the past, that he does not want a government with Kyriakos Mitsotakis.”