Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced today that the minimum wage in Greece will rise to 880 euros beginning April 1, 2025.
However, this announcement has sparked controversy and garnered criticism from labor unions and opposition parties, who argue that the increase is insufficient to meet workers’ needs. They contend that the adjustment fails to adequately address the rising cost of living and the challenges faced by low-wage earners in Greece.
The rise in the minimum wage marks a 6.02 percent increase from the previous minimum wage of 830 euros, affecting around 575,000 private sector workers and 600,000 public employees. This is the fifth wage increase since 2019, bringing the cumulative increase over six years to 35.4 percent. The rise in minimum wages since 2019 is nearly double than the cumulative inflation of the same period, which amounted to 18.1 percent.
Mitsotakis stated that the government’s primary goal is to strengthen employees’ purchasing power, emphasizing that the increase will significantly improve the financial well-being of workers. “Obviously, it does not alleviate all needs as much as we would like,” stated the prime minister. “However, it highlights the steady steps to improve disposable income.”
In his announcement of the wage increase, Mitsotakis also noted, “The new increase in the minimum wage does not satisfy us, we are not where we want to be. However, it certifies that despite the difficulties, we are getting results with this policy.”
He added that his government is committed to lifting the minimum wage to 950 euros by 2027 and the average wage to 1,500 euros to get closer to the European Union average. “Our campaign commitment still holds,” he stressed.
Workers in Greece are among the lowest-paid in the EU
Workers in Greece are among the lowest-paid and highest-taxed in the EU. According to ERGANI, the national employment database, 575,000 workers currently receive the minimum wage. The entry-level wage in the public sector is also expected to match the new minimum wage starting April 1.
Wage stagnation persists in Greece, and many workers make at or under the minimum wage. In 2024, around 1.1 million workers earned under €1,000 per month, largely due to the limited scope of collective bargaining agreements, which were weakened during Greece’s bailout era.
As of early 2025, only 26 percent of workers are covered by sectoral or collective agreements, despite the European Commission recommending 80 percent coverage by 2030.
Unions, opposition slam Greece minimum wage as inadequate
The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) said the rise in the minimum wage is inadequate and called for “every worker to participate in the general strike of April 9. We are striking for real increases through collective agreements.”
“This is the fifth increase in a row since 2019, but not only is the problem of decent living for people in paid employment not being cured, but on the contrary, it is getting worse. The total increases decided by the government in the last five years may be approaching 30 percent, but employees are buying 10 percent fewer goods, GSEE noted.
Main opposition PASOK also criticized the “inadequate” rise in minimum wage, given the harsh social and economic everyday life.”
In a statement, PASOK said that workers in Greece are European champions in hours of employment (39.8 per week compared to the EU average of 36 hours) while their purchasing power is only surpassed by that of Bulgarian citizens. “We work a lot, we are paid little!,” it said.
It added that the cost of housing in Greece is the highest in the EU (35.2 percent of disposable income compared to an EU average of 19.7 percent), while at the same time over 31 percent of the urban population pays over 40 percent of their income for housing.
“In our country the gap between wages and profits is constantly widening, unlike the rest of Europe. The share of wages in Greece is the second lowest in the EU, while the share of profits is systematically increasing, reaching the third highest among the Member States,” PASOK noted.
Related: One in Five Workers in Greece is a Low-Wage Earner
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