Easier residence permit for foreigners

Three burning issues - the extension of sectoral employment contracts, illegal employment and immigration policy - will be on the table of the dialogue between social partners and the leadership of the ministry of Labour on Monday.

Louka Katseli will announce that support measures will be implemented, so that by June more special business contracts with lower wages will have been signed. The main measures are priority approval by the court for the creation of unions that will sign business contracts, and the upgrading of the highest board of work who advise on the expansion of sectorals.
 
“Keep your hands off the sectorals” GSEE, merchants and craftsmen will demand, seeking to maintain the right to extend the sectoral agreements, which the Troika are trying to limit in any way in order to reduce overall wages in the private sector.

Today, however, it is expected that the plan of the Labour ministry will be presented, among others, which will reduce the annual number of stamps required for granting residence permits to foreigners from 200 today to 120.

Cuts in banks

Targeted by memorandum No 4 are also the salaries of bank employees. The first requirement by the Troika is to abolish the allowance balance that is half a wage and is granted every year in March, and equalize the salaries of bank employees with those of the private sector.

Cuts are expected in social benefits, too. The principle aim of recording and monitoring of the allowances that will be completed in late spring, is to reduce duplication. So, anyone being employed for undeclared work will not get unemployment benefits, and whoever getsa  large family allowance will not get child benefit from their work or OAED.

It is then expected that income criteria will be adopted, too. Also, the conditions under which EKAS is granted will become stricter. Already there is a cap in force on income from other sources, such as participation in companies after finding that about 10.000 beneficiaries not only were not low pensioners, but also were shareholders.

Many disability benefits are also hanging by a thread, while income criteria will be set for unemployment benefit to save 500mil.

The cuts will extend to tax breaks for individuals and business that now exceed 900. Thus, expenses such as fees, insurance, doctors, dependents, etc., will be reassessed and probably some of them will be cut from June to save significant resources.