Law to change amount of pension withheld from pensioners that go back to work, Georgiadis reveals

Georgiadis also announced that the pace will pick up in the disbursement of funds under the "My Home" youth housing programme.

The government is preparing legislation that will change the amount docked from pensions for pensioners that go back to work, Labour and Social Insurance Minister Adonis Georgiadis told SKAI television on Sunday. He said a current flat rate of 30 pct will be replaced by a system that is proportional and based on the number of days worked. According to Georgiadis, the current system was “unfair” and also encouraged undeclared labour, while it was punitive for pensioners who needed to continue working, for whatever reason.

Georgiadis also announced that the pace will pick up in the disbursement of funds under the “My Home” youth housing programme.

The minister then commented on the exploitation of staff in the tourist sector following the accident in which an uninsured employee at a Crete hotel was burned, saying the intervention of the Independent Labour Inspection Authority had effect as the company was forced to hire him, give him all outstanding pay and benefits and cover the cost of his treatment, as well as paying a fine. Regarding a waiter on Rhodes forced to wade through the sea to serve customers, Georgiadis said there will be zero tolerance to the violation of workers’ rights and dignity. The minister ended by stressing that unemployment levels must fall below 10 pct on average so that three-year pay rises can be unlocked, noting that unemployment levels had dropped to 10.8 pct in May for the first time since 2009.