ATHENS — Greece will raise its monthly minimum gross wage by 6.4% to 830 euros, the conservative government said on Friday, the fourth such increase in five years aimed at easing the burden on households squeezed by a higher cost of living.
The increase, which was widely expected, will benefit hundreds of thousand of workers, said the government, which survived a no-confidence vote Thursday.
The monthly minimum wage was raised by 9.4% to 780 euros in April 2023.
“Today’s decision will relieve workers without affecting the strength of the economy and the competitiveness of businesses,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told his cabinet.
Greece’s economy expanded by 2% last year, slightly lower than the government’s projection but still well above the euro zone average of 0.4%. It expects growth of 2.9% this year buoyed by tourism, increased investments and domestic demand.
“We are implementing one more step to fulfil our pre-election commitments,” Mitsotakis added according to Reuters.
The government, which won re-election last June, has promised to raise the monthly minimum wage to 950 euros by 2027, when its term ends, and increase the average wage by more than 25% to 1,500 euros in the same period.
