Minister of Labor and Social Security Niki Kerameos announced a significant reduction in social security contributions imposed on overtime, extra hours, night shifts, and work on public holidays during an interview on Thursday, February 20, on Mega TV.

As Minister Kerameos explained, workers will continue to receive their full extra pay—for example, the 75% increase for working on public holidays remains unchanged. She emphasized that wages themselves will not be affected.

“What changes, then? The amount that both workers and businesses have to pay the state for that work,” she noted.

“Let me give an example. Let’s say I work an 8-hour shift from 08:00 to 16:00, earning 6 euros per hour. If I work on a Sunday, my pay will be over 10 euros per hour. However, the social security contributions I owe for working on that Sunday will no longer be calculated based on the 10 euros but instead on the original 6 euros.”

The minister stated that this initiative is part of a broader effort by the Ministry of Labor to systematically reduce non-wage labor costs, which have already been cut by 5.5 percentage points across the board.

“This is a major reduction that, once again, puts more money in the pockets of both workers and businesses,” she stressed.

She also highlighted that, since contributions from overtime, night shifts, and holiday work account for only 1.5% of total social security revenue, compliance levels remain low. The new policy introduces healthier incentives, she said, “to encourage legal employment and ensure full transparency in working conditions.”

The minister further clarified that this measure applies across all industries but is limited to full-time employees:

“Our goal is to increase full-time employment by converting part-time jobs into full-time positions. That’s what we want, and we’re already seeing very positive signs.”

Referring to ERGANI, the government’s digital employment tracking system, she pointed out that “we are consistently seeing an increase in full-time contracts.”

New Employment Program for Workers Aged 55 and Over

Regarding a new employment program from DYPA (Greece’s public employment service) for municipalities, regions, public legal entities, and decentralized administrations, aimed at workers aged 55 and over, she stated:

“We all know that finding a job after 55 is much harder. That’s why the state is stepping in to support our fellow citizens who have only a few years left before retirement—to help them secure their pension rights.”

She emphasized that a ministerial decision detailing all program parameters was published yesterday, and within the next few weeks, applications will open for 6,000 new state-subsidized jobs.

“This is one of the most successful employment programs the country has ever had, and 27,000 citizens have already benefited from it. Now, we’re adding 6,000 more job opportunities for workers aged 55 and over.”

Applications, the minister announced, will begin in March.

Implementation of the Digital Work Card in Tourism and Hospitality

On the full implementation of the Digital Work Card in tourism and hospitality starting on March 1, she reminded:

“Since September, we’ve been running a six-month pilot program in tourism and hospitality. We’ve had extensive discussions with representatives from both sectors, and many of their reasonable requests have already been incorporated into the relevant guidelines.”

She added that wherever the Digital Work Card has been introduced, a significant increase in declared overtime has been observed:

“815,000 more overtime hours have been officially recorded since the introduction of the Digital Work Card.”

Using the hospitality sector as an example, she pointed out that two out of three workers were previously registered as part-time employees.

“What do we care about? Two things.

First, that workers are paid for the actual hours they work—that’s absolutely crucial.

Second, that we protect fair competition. Because if one business follows all the rules, pays its contributions, and fully complies with regulations, but another business down the street does not, that distorts the playing field.”

On the Death of Vasilis Kalogiros in Larissa

When asked about the case of Vasilis Kalogiros’ death in Larissa, the minister responded:

“At this very moment, a family is mourning a young life lost and is demanding answers. They deserve to know the truth about this tragic death.

Respect for this family, their grief, and the ongoing investigation requires that we all be extremely careful with what we say publicly.

That is precisely why reckless insinuations and wild conspiracy theories, which cross into the realm of the absurd, do nothing but poison society and undermine institutions.

And I will add this: The worst form of populism is the exploitation of human suffering.

We all share a universal demand for justice. But justice is served by the judicial system—not by public opinion trials or political parties.

And we all have a duty to respect that process.”