Covid-19: Greece Supports Jobs, Businesses with New Measures
The Greek labor and finance ministries announced six new measures on Thursday aimed at supporting businesses and households affected by a new round of Covid-19 restrictions in view of soaring cases.
Among others, the government will restore in January a 534-euro special purpose subsidy for employees in F&B and entertainment (musicians, singers, actors, etc) who are out of work due to the measures.
Additionally, the state will cover 60 percent of worker salaries to the end of March. The measure applies to employees whose hours were cut due to Covid curbs.
Additionally, the contract suspension measure will be reinstated in January and the Syn-ergasia job retention program extended to March 31, 2022. Companies cannot dismiss employees on the scheme.
Teleworking will continue to be mandatory for a least 50 percent of public and private sector employees provided their tasks can be performed remotely and companies must implement rolling arrival and departures times for staff in efforts to decongest public transport.
Increased inspections will be carried out to ensure adherence to mask wearing and distancing rules in working spaces.
Speaking to Greek daily Naftemporiki, Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said support would be distributed in three phases. In addition to the six measures announced today, additional relief in the form of liquidity and tax payment deferral will be announced in January, and in the third phase in spring, authorities will assess the damages and decide on refundable advance payments.
“Since the start of the health crisis, the government set up an adequate ‘safety net’ for businesses and households taking timely, bold and effective measures to support society, [measures] which extend into 2022, totaling 43.3 billion euros,” he said.