A crucial meeting on the future of Automatic Indexation (ATA) is taking place today at 16:00 at the Ministry of Labor, in the presence of the Minister of Labor, Yiannis Panayiotou, employers' organizations and trade union bodies.
The meeting is considered crucial, as the 2023 transitional agreement has expired without a new arrangement, while the unions are warning of strike action if there is no progress. The decision on strike action is expected to be decided at the union assembly on Monday.
The differences remain large. The unions are calling for a full reinstatement of the ATA to 100% and its extension to the minimum wage, while the employers are proposing a more "modern" mechanism with safeguards, warning of fiscal risks.
The social partners seem to be "holding a small basket" ahead of the meeting, since the Ministry of Labor has not clarified whether it will present a new proposal or whether it is seeking to gain time ahead of Monday's pan-union assembly.
In statements to CNA, the OEB and the CCCI called for the dialogue to be exhausted, noting that a possible full return of the ATA would skyrocket inelastic spending and undermine the stability of the economy. On the other hand, union representatives spoke of extreme positions on the employer side and called on the government to take a clear position.
Source: KYPE
