The agreement brokered by the development ministry with supermarket chains for price reductions on more than 2,000 essential products and the lower price for domestic heating oil relative to the previous year were two items highlighted in Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' regular review of the government's work in the past week, posted each Sunday on the internet.
Mitsotakis then referred to the bill of the labour ministry bill that was passed on Thursday, stressing that the most "blatant fake news asserted by the opposition," was that it allegedly imposes a general 13-hour working day.
"I want to start on the front of high prices and the agreement struck by the development ministry with all supermarket chains to double the number of essential products with reduced prices, from 1,000 to more than 2,000 product codes," he said, noting that this covered food, cleaning and personal hygiene products that account for the larger part of the family budget.
“As for heating oil, its distribution started this year at a noticeably lower price compared to last year - at 1.09 euros per liter in Attica and a few cents higher in the rest of Greece - the lowest price in the last four years. I remind you that in 2022, before the subsidy was granted, the price was at least 530 euros higher per 1,000 litres”, he noted.
The prime minister said that a decision regarding the payment of a heating allowance will be announced by the end of October, ranging from 100 euros to 800 euros according to income criteria, while it may even reach 1,200 euros in areas that experience very low temperatures.
“The first installment will be paid before Christmas, so that households are prepared for the winter”, he emphasized.
On the changes to labour law, he pointed out that current legislation already permits 13 hours of work a day when this is split between two employers:
“It has been pointed out many times that this regulation already applies when work is provided to two employers, and it is now extended as an option for work provided to a single employer. It is permitted only as an exception and there are specific limits - that is, at most for three days per month. The employee’s consent is mandatory to work overtime, and refusal cannot lead to dismissal. In fact, an employer is obliged to prove - even in the future - that any dismissal of an employee was not related to their refusal to provide overtime work. This specific provision exists in the labour legislation of other European countries and was further strengthened following a proposal by the General Confederation of Employees of Greece (GSEE). It is one of at least 45 proposals from social partners that were incorporated into the bill”, he stated.
In the remainder of his weekly review, Mitsotakis also touched on the issue of technical and vocational training via Professional Training Academies, which are to be established by private entities in collaboration with the ministry of education as a means to boost employment and create an alternative career path.
He also spoke about payments to farmers through the EU agricultural aid payment authority OPEKEPE and other support measures, measures regulating fire recovery assistance in fire-stricken areas, investments in public healthcare, the new digital platform for publication of wills due to launch on November 1 and other improvements to speed up delivery of justice, actions to increase compliance with the payment of road tax and mandatory vehicle insurance, the launch of the online portal tatoicollections.culture.gov.gr showcasing digitised items from the former royal estate of Tatoi and investments to refurbish major sports venues.