The timeline for legislating the new framework arising from the Social Agreement was presented by the Minister of Labour, Niki Kerameus, during today’s meeting at the Maximos Mansion with representatives of the national social partners, chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Kerameus outlined two key steps: a roadmap and draft provisions that will go to consultation and then to Parliament for legislation in early 2026.
“The first step is to finalise, within December, the roadmap for strengthening collective bargaining, exactly as mandated. It will include the Social Agreement we reached collectively — which will be sent to you for comments — and then we have already begun drafting the provisions that will go to Parliament, incorporating precisely the agreement we all reached,” the Minister said.
The Prime Minister, addressing the social partners, added:
“We want to legislate what you have agreed on very soon, so that it can be implemented as quickly as possible.”
He noted that this initiative “pleasantly surprised workers, employers, and society as a whole, because you demonstrated that, with maturity and in coordination with the competent Ministry, you can reach a solution that I believe is mutually beneficial — both for the businesses you represent and for the employees.”
Giannis Paraschis: “New possibilities open for tourism”
Representing the social partners, SETE President Giannis Paraschis highlighted that a sector like tourism—highly labour-intensive—depends heavily on good labour relations. For this reason, the agreement, which is a product of mature social dialogue, will deepen and broaden the opportunities and good practices developed within the sector.
He stressed that regulating labour relations is a crucial issue for tourism, one that industry associations have handled responsibly even during the difficult years of the economic memoranda. He referred to the sectoral agreements between POX and POET, which in recent years have been expanding.
During the meeting, it was underlined that combining economic growth with social cohesion requires mutually beneficial cooperation between employees and employers. The importance of the new Social Agreement was emphasised both for improving workers’ earnings and for ensuring a stable and healthy business environment.
The Prime Minister reiterated that supporting disposable income remains a permanent and central priority of the government, served both by the expansion of collective agreements and by the new tax reform announced at the Thessaloniki International Fair, which comes into force in January.
