Efi Ahtsioglou expressed the opinion that “Greek society is today deeply traumatized in the midst of overlapping crises” during her speech at the program presentation event SYRIZA, accusing the previous ND government of “promoting a virtual reality that essentially addicts society to the idea that we should be grateful for the minimum.” He commented that the ND accuses SYRIZA of describing the country’s situation “in the darkest colors”, that they are “pessimistic, almost miserable” and explained that “it is not a matter of psychological mood, but of realism”. “Because optimism only then acquires content: when it is based on real data,” he said characteristically.

Referring, not, to elements such as for the GDPdisposable income, inequalities he emphasized that “in recent years the country has not been moving on a path of convergence with the European social model” and that all this happened “because in an existing energy and inflationary crisis, specific political choices were made”.

“The truth is that the continuation of this path will mean nothing more than moving away from the goal of social cohesion, from the goal of social well-being,” he noted, adding that “what we need is not a different management, but a different strategy”.

In this context, she presented the policies proposed by SYRIZA in its program in order to “give a new perspective to the economy with a focus on human resources”.

Boosting income, shielding purchasing power

The measures mentioned by E. Ahtsioglou are the following:

– Establishment of a minimum wage of 880 euros in the private sector.

– Unfreezing the three years.

-Increase by 10% of salaries in the public sector.

– Establishment of an Annual Price Index Adjustment Mechanism in the private and public sector.

-Restoration of the 13th pension of 2019

-Payment to pensioners of all retroactive benefits they are entitled to

-Granting annual increases in pensions, as provided for in the SYRIZA law of 2017, to all pensioners, regardless of the existence of a personal dispute.

-Increase of the tax-free limit to 10,000 euros.

-Establishment of tax-free up to 10,000 euros for freelancers, scientists, traders, workers with blocks and non-main occupation farmers.

-Abolition of the pretense fee.

-Regulation of the debts of the professionals created by the pandemic by cutting the basic debt and with 120 installments to repay the balance.

To address accuracy, he presented the following measures:

-Retail price caps for electricity and natural gas and a maximum profit rate of 5% on energy.

-Promotion of a mandatory rate of fixed contracts in wholesale electricity.

– Direct taxation of the surplus profits that have accumulated in the coffers of energy companies and refineries. Savings of 5.5 billion euros for

Social Welfare.

-Taxation of high dividends over 50,000 euros at a rate of 10%

-Reduction of the VAT on fuel to the lowest EU rate.

-Reduction of VAT on food to 6%. Provision of zero VAT for essential items.

-Abolition of the payment of the social security tax on agricultural oil.

-Reduction of the cost of the monthly card for unlimited journeys in public transport from 27 to 10 euros.

The focus is on employees and the right to work

Regarding labor matters, E. Ahtsioglou mentioned the following measures:

-Abolition of all anti-drug regulations of the ND.

-Restoration of the minimum wage negotiation with the National Social Partners from 2024, with the threshold of the Annual Price Indexation.

-Restoration of the basic principles of collective bargaining.

-Reconstitution and reinforcement of the Labor Inspection.

-Restoration of the valid reason for dismissal.

-Abolition of overtime, reduction of legal working time limits.

-Restoration of the constitutional right of unilateral recourse to arbitration.

– Abolition of virtual contracting, with the establishment of clear terms and conditions and inclusion of those who work, with any relationship and form of work, in a sector in the SSEs.

-Recognition of platform workers as employees.

-Set up telecommuting as a remote employee.

-Enshrining and strengthening collective autonomy, trade union function and the right to strike.

As for whether these measures are “feasible” and “harmonize with the country’s fiscal capabilities”, he stated that “we never hid on this question”. “We clearly described the costs as well as the revenues of our program,” he said.

“We will not accept from a party that bankrupted the country, which despite imposing the harshest fiscal adjustment in the modern history of the country, only succeeded in plunging us even further into the vicious circle of memoranda, we will not accept from a party that is the biggest strategic defaulter of the country to make suggestions on public finances”, concluded E. Ahtsioglou.