Greece: Minimum wage country profile

This profile describes how minimum wages are regulated and set in Greece. It can be read as background information for Eurofound’s annual review of minimum wage setting series. In Greece the national minimum wage as generally applicable was established in 1980. Until 2012, the minimum wage was determined through a national collective agreement and was ratified by the government. From 2012 to 2018, the minimum wage was set by the government under the mandates set by the bailout agreements and the Programs of fiscal adjustment. Since February 2019, the minimum wage is being determined by the government after a broad consultation process with national social partners and other public agencies.

Minimum wage

Information for this page was compiled during December 2023 and January 2024. As Member States are currently transposing the EU minimum wage directive, national legislation can be subject to change. Eurofound intends to update these profiles in early 2025. Users are invited to contact Eurofound if they are aware of changes.

Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.

Minimum wage regulation

In Greece, the statutory minimum wage was established in 2012 in the framework of the bailout programs (requiring implementation of strict austerity measures, the significant reduction of wages in both the private and public sectors, and the liberalization of the labour market) underwent by Greece in the aftermath of the severe economic crisis. It was legislated for the first time in subparagraph ix.11 of Law 4093/2012 (Government Gazette /I/222). This law abolished the previous existing authority of the national social partners in setting the minimum wage (that was in fact set through a national collective agreement and then ratified by the government), and authorised the government to set its level.

The statutory minimum wage sets the pay for full-time employees (40 hours/week) in the private sector, under a private law employment relationship, without any age or other discrimination.

Individual job contracts and collective agreements of any kind are forbidden from setting any regular monthly salaries or daily wages for full-time work below the aforementioned statutory minimum wage and daily wage as they have been set by the government's decision.

The overall legislative framework in force regarding the minimum wage in Greece is the following:

The latest applicable rate was set by Ministerial Decision no. 31986/2023 (Government Gazette /B/28/3/2023) 'Determination of the minimum wage and minimum daily wage for employees and workers throughout the country'.

Actors involved in determining the minimum wages

Art. 103 of Law 4172/2013 (GG/I/167) introduced a new permanent mechanism for determining the monthly minimum wage and the daily wage. It established a broad consultation process between the social partners and relevant state agencies. After the consultation, the Minister of Labour, with the consent of the Cabinet, determines the minimum wage with a Ministerial Decision.

The law identifies the following actors involved:

  • General Confederation of Greek Labour (GSEE), the unique national peak organisation of workers.
  • Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), a national recognised employers' organisation representing the big industry and the largest companies in the country.
  • Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen, and Merchants (GSEVEE), a national recognised employers' organisation mainly representing SMEs and craftsmen organisations.
  • Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE), a national recognised employers' organisation mainly representing the commerce sector, especially SMEs.
  • Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), a national recognised employers' organisation mainly representing the tourism sector.
  • Federation of Industries of Greece (SBE), a national recognised employers' organisation representing industries (mainly in Northern Greece).
  • Bank of Greece.
  • The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
  • The Public Employment Service (DYPA).
  • The Institute of Labour of the Greek General Confederation of Labour (INE/GSEE), the scientific organisation of GSEE.
  • The Foundation for Economic & Industrial Research (IOBE), a private, non-profit, public-benefit research organisation, regarded as the scientific organisation of SEV.
  • The Small Enterprises' Institute of the Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen, and Merchants (IME GSEVEE), the scientific organisation of GSEVEE.
  • Institute of Commerce and Services of Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (INEMY ESEE), the research organisation of ESEE.
  • Institute of the Greek Tourism Confederation (INSETE), the research organisation of SETE.

Process of setting the minimum wage

According to the current legislation in force (art. 103 of Law 4172/2013), the process of setting the level of the minimum wage includes three steps.

This mechanism was legislated in 2013 but was initially put into effect in September 2018. In the preceding period, spanning from 2012 to 2018, the minimum wage was directly determined by the government and remained unchanged as part of the bailout agreements.

Analytically, the three steps of the minimum wage setting process are the following:

Step 1 – Initiation, coordination and consultation

A consultation process involves the participation of social partners, their institutions, specialized public agencies, scientific institutions, and related bodies. It typically extends over a period of approximately four months, although it may be shortened (as it has occurred on some occasions). The consultation process is overseen by a Coordinating Committee, established specifically for this purpose. The committee consists of the President of the Organization for Mediation and Arbitration (OMED) serving as Chairman, along with one representative appointed by the Ministry of Labour and one representative appointed by the Ministry of Finance. The Organization of Mediation and Arbitration (OMED) is responsible for initiating the process.

The consultation phase, with explicitly defined time frames, include the drafting of proposals, reports and memoranda submitted by the parties involved. This material is then forwarded to KEPE, a research centre supervised by the Ministry of Finance, tasked with formulating a proposal/recommendation regarding the minimum wage level.

Step 2 – Opinion proposal for the minimum wage level

The Centre of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE), a research center supervised by the Ministry of Finance, is tasked with drafting a proposal/recommendation regarding the minimum wage level. This proposal is formulated after considering the proposals, studies/memoranda submitted by all parties participating in the consultation process, along with the outcomes of the tripartite meeting and dialogue among social partners conducted by the Coordinating Committee.

Additionally, a five-member independent experts' Committee, appointed by the Ministries of Labour (two experts), Finance (two experts), and Development (one expert), also provides a recommendation on the minimum wage level to KEPE.

Step 3 – Decision on the level of the minimum wage

In the final stage, the Minister of Labour submits to the Cabinet a proposal regarding the minimum wage level, considering the Consultation Report provided by KEPE, and subsequently issues a decision to determine the minimum wage, based on the unanimous opinion of the Cabinet.

Criteria referred to in minimum wage setting

In Greece, according to Law 4172/2013 (Article 103(3)) the determination of the statutory minimum wage and the daily minimum wage (DMW, applicable to blue-collar workers) should consider the state of the Greek economy and its potential for growth in terms of productivity, prices, competitiveness, employment, unemployment rates, incomes, and wages.

However, the legislation lacks detailed specifications regarding the criteria, or the method used for determining the minimum wage. Additionally, the law does not mandate these criteria as binding for establishing the minimum wage level.

Coverage of the minimum wage and exemptions

The statutory minimum wage and the daily minimum wage (DMW, applicable to blue-collar workers) apply to full-time white-collar and blue-collar workers employed in the whole country in the private sector, without age or any other characteristics constituting lawful exceptions.

As for public civil servants, different wages are unilaterally determined by the State by legislation, according to its fiscal policies at any given time.

Subminima and higher rates

In Greece, there is currently no sub-minimum rate. For a six-year period (March 2012-January 2019), the statutory minimum wage provided for a sub-minimum rate for employees aged up to 25 (Law 4172/2013). From February 2019 the sub-minimum rate was abolished (Ministerial Decision No 4241/127/30-01-2019).

Frequency of payments and how the rate is defined

For employees, the minimum wage is defined at a monthly base and refers for work 40 hours per week (eight hours per day for people employed five days per week or 6.45 hours per day for people employed six days per week). For blue-collar workers, a daily minimum wage (DMW) is implemented.

By legislation, anyone employed in the private sector is entitled to 14 monthly wages. The two extra wages are referred to as:

  • ‘Christmas bonus’: equal to one monthly wage.
  • ‘Easter bonus’: equal to half monthly wage, given in the Easter period.
  • ‘Annual Leave Bonus’: equal to half monthly wage.

What counts towards the minimum wage

The minimum wage in Greece is referred to ‘a single reference value (amount)’ according to Law 4254/2014. There are no further components of pay to count towards the minimum wage. Any bonuses (see above), overtime allowances, holiday allowances, are calculated based on the actually paid salary of the employee. Also, the legislation does not allow any deductions.

Some observations are useful, however, regarding seniority: according to recent legislation (Law 5053/2023, art. 33), as of 1 January 2024, the so-called seniority allowance has been reinstated as a component of the minimum wage, which had been abolished due to the economic crisis. Specifically, the seniority allowance consists of increasing the minimum wage by 10% after 3 years of work, with a maximum increase in the minimum wage of up to 30% for 9 years of work.

The reinstatement of the above allowance will be in accordance with the following conditions:

  • The work experience of each employee, as it was determined on 14 February 2012, when the obligation to grant the triennial allowance was suspended, continues to accumulate after 1 January 2024.
  • The work experience of each employee hired after 14 February 2012, starts to be calculated for the period after 1 January 2024: work experience gained in the period 14 February 2012 until 31 December 2023 is not considered for the increase in wages or the provision of the seniority allowance.
  • If the regular remuneration paid exceeds the legal minimum wages, the increases resulting from completing three-year periods and the resumption of the seniority allowance are offset against the difference between the amounts paid and the legal remuneration. Hence, if the total / final wage payment of an employee is higher that the entitled minimum wage and the entitled seniority allowance, then its payment is lawful

The reinstatement of seniority allowance is foreseen: a) by art. 33 of the Law 5053/2023, ‘for the enhancement of Work, the incorporation of the Directive (EU) 2019/1152 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019, simplification of digital procedures and enhancement of the digital labour card, Upgrading the operational function of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and of the Labour Inspection’ and its implementation from 1 January 2024; and b) by Circular of the Ministry of Labour 88073/6.10.2023, ‘Provision of clarifications regarding the art. 33 of Law 5053/2023 entitled “Remuneration of the prior service in the private sector and adjustment of employees’ earnings – Abolition of art. 4 of Ministerial Council Decision no 6/28.2.2012”.

For completeness, it should be noted that Ministerial Decision No 4241/127/30-01-2019 had already reinstated the provision of the seniority allowance from 2019 without, however, making it mandatory as it should have been implemented through the enactment of a law.

Regular national report on minimum wage setting

As a part of the consultation process for the minimum wage setting, the regular KEPE’s reports/recommendations can be considered as ‘national reports on minimum wage’.

In 2020 consultation on minimum wage was prevented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other country resources on minimum wages

Within the framework of the annual consultation for determining the minimum wage, the scientific institutes of social partners as well the participating public agencies and organizations in the consultation, submit reports and data on the minimum wage.

In the context of the 2023 consultation process, in February 2023, the participant members carried out and submitted in written the so called ‘Report on the assessment of the current statutory minimum wage’. Analytically:

Scientific studies

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