In summary

In Greece there is a statutory minimum wage of € 5.93 per hour, which makes a minimum wage of € 880 per month (3% in real growth terms comparing to the previous year). The MW is set by the government, after consultation with employers' organisations, trade unions and scientific experts. There is no criteria guiding the adjustments of MW. There are no variations from statutory Minimum Wage. The gender pay gap is 13.4%, while the in-work poverty rate is 10.7%. Finally, income inequality (calculated as Interdecile ratio S80/S20) is 5.3.

Minimum Wage in Greece

Statutory Minimum Wage ?

Yes
Does your country have a statutory minimum wage? (yes or no). For Statutory it is intended “set by law”.

Hourly Minimum Wage

5.93€
In countries where MW are expressed in monthly pay (or weekly - MT), the amount is converted into hourly rates based on the average collectively agreed number of working hours per month, as provided by Eurofound (2023), or most recent data available. For non-euro countries, the values were converted to Euro by applying the exchange rate applicable at the end of the previous reference month (December 2023). Rates for countries with more than 12 wage payments per year (Greece, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain) were converted by dividing the annual sum of the minimum wage by 12 calendar months.

Monthly Min. Wage

880.00€
In countries in which the minimum wage is not explicitly set per month, the calculation of the monthly minimum wage is based on the hourly rate multiplied with the average collectively agreed number of working hours per month (full time equivalent). Or most recent data available.

MW as % Gross Median Wage

49.00%
Under the Directive, Member States are required to use indicative reference values when assessing of the adequacy of statutory minimum wages: 60% of the gross median wage. The data is based on the OECD Earnings Database (2024); for Malta and for Bulgaria the data was taken from Eurostat (2024). For Bulgaria the most recent figure available at Eurostat was for 2018.

MW as % Gross Average Wage

39.00%
Under the Directive, Member States are required to use indicative reference values when assessing of the adequacy of statutory minimum wages: 50% of the gross average wage. The data is based on the OECD Earnings Database (2024); for Malta and for Bulgaria the data was taken from Eurostat (2024).

Nominal Growth rate of Wages

6.00%
Development from January 2023 to January 2024 based on national currencies.

Real Growth rate of wages

3.00%
Development from January 2023 to January 2024 based on national currencies. The calculation is based on the annual average of Eurostat's harmonized index of consumer prices.

% of workers covered by minimum wage

10.20%

Automatic indexation of adjustments

no
An indexation mechanism links the development of minimum wages to the development of other indicators such as inflation or negotiated wages.

MW setting procedure

Government, after consultation with employers' organisations, trade unions and scientific experts
This indicator refers to the mechanism used to set the minimum wage involving indexation, unilateral government decisions and different kinds of trilateral and bilateral negotiations with or without the involvement of expert commissions.

Criteria guiding adjustment of MW

No mandatory criteria (consideration of basic economic data such as growth, prices, average monthly wage, purchasing power etc.). When the minimum wage was defined through collective bargaining, there were no criteria on its determination (Law 1876/1990)
The Directive specifies the following criteria for the adjustment of minimum wages: purchasing power of statutory minimum wages taking into consideration the cost of living, general level of wages and their distribution, growth rate of wages and long-term productivity levels and their developments.

Variations from statutory Minimum Wage

no
Variations refer to the fact that Member States may allow for different rates of statutory minimum wages for specific groups of workers such as in particular young workers.

Consultative body on statutory Minimum Wage and social partner involvement

The government decision on the MW is based on an extensive tripartite consultation process involving the Committee of Experts, the Oral Consultation Committee and the Center of Planning and Economic Resarch.
The Directive requires Member States to involve the two sides of industry into the setting and updating of statutory minimum wages in a timely manner which involves the establishment of consultative bodies such as low-pay or minimum wage commissions or other tri- and bipartite structures whose advice can be but does not need to be binding.

Gender Pay Gap

13.40%
The unadjusted gender pay gap is calculated as the difference between the average gross hourly earnings of male and female paid employees as a percentage of average gross hourly earnings of male paid employees (latest data Eurostat, 2022).

In-work poverty rate

10.70%
In-work at-risk-of-poverty rate refers to the percentage of persons, who declared to be employed or self-employed, being at risk of poverty (i.e. with a disposable income below the threshold, set at 60 % of the national median disposable income after social transfers) (latest data Eurostat, 2023).

Income inequality (income quintile share Ratio S80/S20)

5.30
Income quintile share ratio S80/S20 for gross market income. The ratio of total income received by the 20 % of the population with the highest income (top quintile) to that received by the 20 % of the population with the lowest income (lowest quintile). Income must be understood as equivalised disposable income. The indicator is based on the EU-SILC (statistics on income, social inclusion and living conditions - Eurostat 2025).

In summary

In Greece, the collective bargaining coverage is 13%. Wages bargaining take place mostly at company level. Collective agreements are not valid beyond their expiration. Public procurement relates to the obligatory implementation of (statutory)  minimum wage. Trade unions have access to the workplace, but protection of workers and trade union representatives against discrimination/dismissal is weakening. The distortion of the mechanism of extending the Collective Agreements binding force had a negative impact on the presence of employers' organisations with a negotiating mandate. The Directive (EU) 2022/2041 has been transposed and Action Plan for Collective Bargaining was published.

Collective Bargaining in Greece

Collective Bargaining Coverage

13.00%
Collective Bargaining coverage is measured as the share of employees covered by a collective agreement (in percent) of the number of employees with the right to bargain (OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database, 2021 or most recent year available – for DE source is IAB 2024; for NL, source is De Burcht 2024; for ES source is Spanish Ministry for Labour and Social Economy 2024).

Predominant level at which wage bargaining takes place (in terms of coverage of employees)

Company
Collective bargaining can take place at several levels: cross-sectoral, sectoral or company/enterprise level. The predominant level is measured in terms of coverage of employees by collective agreements at the various levels.

Extension Mechanism

The important mechanism of the extension of collective agreements binding force (art.11 Law 1876/1990) was suspended from 2011 (conditionality of the international loan agreement during the economic crisis). It has been restainstated, but with extended restrictions in 2019 (economic crisis measures). Current situation: Rare extension of CAs
Extension mechanisms refer to the rules that ensure that a collective agreement also applies to companies and employees who are not a member of the signatory parties to the agreement (i.e. trade unions and employers' associations).

Valididy of Collective Agreeements after expirations?

No
Are the collective agreements in your country still valid beyond their expiration? (yes or no)

Exclusion of group of employees from collective bargaining

Civil servants (broad sense) as it concerns their wage and any other clause with financial content
In some countries certain groups of employees (for instance civil servants or solo self-employed) do not have the right to collective bargaining.

Trade Union Involvement in Action Plan drafting

the Ministry of Labour has excluded the representation of all national social partners, thus their participation, from the working group, settled by Ministerial Decision in April 2024, on the incorporation of european Directive 2022/2041. No information until now (July 2024) as it concerns the process.
The Directive's requirement to establish an action plan to promote collective bargaining includes the obligation of timely and meaningful involvement of trade unions (based on info from affiliates).

Trade Union Density

13.40%
Trade union density is measured as the share of employees who are a member of a trade union (in percent) of the overall workforce (OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database, 2019 or the most recent year available)

Collective bargaining clauses in Public Procurement

Public procurement relates to the obligatory implementation of (statutory) minimum wage. Greece has not ratified ILO C94.
This category refers to clauses which ensure that public contracts are awarded only to those companies which provide collectively agreed wages and which respect the workers' right to bargain collectively.

Call to introduce or strengthen sectoral system of collective bargaining

the Ministry of Labour has excluded the representation of all national social partners, thus their participation, from the working group, settled by Ministerial Decision in April 2024, on the incorporation of european Directive 2022/2041. No information until now
The Directive explicitly requires Member States to strengthen (cross-)sectoral bargaining because countries with a bargaining coverage of 80% and more are characterized by well-developed sectoral bargaining systems.

Right of Access to workplace (also digitally)

Enterprise trade unions can have an office inside the company, if more than 100 workers are employed and their general assemblies in the company premises, outside working time, if more than 80 workers are employed). In any case, enterprise trade union has the right to have a website on the internet or in the internal electronic network of the employing enterprise. Other trade unions can have the right to distribute notices in the workplace areas after agreement with the employer, or in outdoor areas of the workplace, outside of working hours.
The trade union right of access to companies is an important tool to increase bargaining coverage by strengthening the trade unions' capacity to act. This right can be granted either by law or by collective agreements and it either covers only companies where there is a union presence or all companies.

Protection of workers and trade union representatives against dismissal/discrimination

The greek system of collective bargaining and CLAs has undergone extended restrictions with cumulative measures and distablising impact in the quality and the quantity of CLAs. GSEE and employers' organisations were excluded from the Ministry'S of Labour working group on the transposition of Dir 2022/2041.
Article 4(1) of the Directive stipulates that the Member States must take measures to protect the exercise of the right to collective bargaining and to protect these workers and union representatives from discrimination on the grounds that they participate or wish to participate in collective bargaining on wage-setting.

Financial incentives for union members

No discussion
One way to increase collective bargaining coverage by strengthening the unions' capacity to act is by providing financial incentives for workers to become a trade union member. This can take different forms which are set out in this category.

Presence of employers’ federation(s) with negotiating mandate

The distortion of the mechanism of extending the CLAs binding force had a negative impact on employers' organisations
One important reason for low collective bargaining coverage is the fact that there are no sectoral employers' associations as a negotiation partner of trade unions. Or where they exist they often do not have a negotiation mandate. Thus, promoting the establishment of sectoral employers' associations with a negotiation mandate is another important tool to increase bargaining coverage.

Obligation for employers to engage in sectoral bargaining

The introduction of such an obligations raises issues of non due implementation of international law (i.e. ILO C87 ,rev. ESV). The effectiveness of the establishment of an arbitration system as a subsidiary mechanism for resolving collective labour disputes in case of failure of collective bargaining, should be assessed as a more effective solution.
One principal reason for low bargaining coverage is the fact that employers and their associations are not willing to engage in negotiations with trade unions. An obligation for employers to engage in meaningful negotiations with trade unions could help to increase collective bargaining coverage.

Did your country start the process of transposition?

Transposed + Action Plan for CB published
Concerning either the Minimum Wage settings or the Collective Bargaining systems. Monitored and categorised as: N/A; Assessment of current situation completed: no actions required; Not started; Discussion / preparation ongoing; Draft Legislation published; Parliamentary discussion started; Transposed.