9 out of 10 workers in Greece have reduced consumption of essential goods, a recent survey conducted on behalf of the private sector union umbrella General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) and the Labor Institute.
One out of two respondent also said that they do not get paid for overtime work, while the vast majority of workers, at 81%, considers that labor rights are better protected with Collective Bargaining Agreements.
According to survey conducted by public opinion pollster Alco:
90% of workers said they have reduced their consumption of essential goods because of high prices. 18% answered “a lot”, “somehow” 51% and “a little” 21%. “Not at all” responded 16%.
They have mostly reduced in categories as cooling-heating, meat, fish, dairy, fruits and vegetables.
30% of workers said that they had no savings, while 37% said they have been forced to use their savings to cover their current needs to purchase basic goods.
As for the most effective means to protect living standards, 43% said “wages increases”, 33% said “VAT and consumption taxes reductions” and 24% said “price controls.”
64% of workers indicated that they did not receive any salary increase in the year 2023, while 34% indicated that they received some increase.
It is estimated that the vast majority of those who said they received a raise are those who are paid the minimum wage, which increased in the year 2023.
72% stated that they do not work more than their normal hours, while 24% stated that they work more.
48% of those who reported that they work more than their normal hours say that they are not paid for overtime.
“The Greek economy and society, after many years of austerity, is facing a “wave” of high prices in basic goods and services and income stagnation, which threatens the purchasing power and the standard of living of many working households,” the GSEE noted.
“It is necessary to immediately implement a mixture of interventions to increase wages and strengthen labor rights, so as to protect the living standards of wage earners and, above all, the lowest paid, as much as possible. The strengthening of the sectoral collective labor agreements and the National General Collective Labor Agreement, through the right of the GSEE and the employers’ organizations to determine the minimum wage, is imperative,” the GSEE stressed.