Seasonal workers in tourism, construction and agriculture will be at risk to lose their allowances as of 01.01.2013. According to new regulations issued by OAEED (Greek Unemployment Agency) seasonal workers will be able to receive allowances only for 450 days and thus retrospective since 01.01.2009.
That is, if someone has received allowances for 210 days, s/he will be granted allowance for no more than 240 days. If someone has received allowances fro 450 days already, there will be … no allowance.
Unfortunately, these 450-day allowance will be spread over four years.
Regulations are expected to be even tougher as of 01.01.2014, where they will be granted only for 400 days.
The measure will hit thousands of workers who work only for several months a year and used to receive special ‘unemployment allowances’ for the period of time that they had no work.
Here is the OAEED circular in Greek. they count more than 12 examples of how the allowances will be given. There are also regulations for Christmas & Easter Bonuses.
These rumours have been going for ages. Still you write “are at risk”. So it’s not for sure yet… but I suppose one of the demands of Troika?
i think you gave the answer to ‘rumours’ through the OADE link. it is very sure, and people are at risk if they have already received what they’re allowed to recieve, I’m afraid. do you know for how many days they used to get the allowance?
Usually you need 125 ensima to get the unemployment money, which is 5 months of work (25 ensima a month). Then you take max 5 months of unemployment money. But a lot of people haven’t even reached those 5 months since the tourist season on the islands was in general very short.
And then I know also lots that haven’t been paid yet…
How can you survive the winter on the islands (not everybody has olive oil to sell or a piece of land to cultivate vegetables or has sheep). Is the EU going to drop food packages in Greece?
I also would not be surprised if they put it on their site to scare people, I haven’t heard it has been voted through the parliament yet.
it doesn’t need to be voted int the parliament.It has been voted ‘en bloc’ in the second bailout agreement last march and now it’s being implemented.
with 125x ensima (work stamps per year) I understand people who received full 5 months allowance for the last 4 years, they receive nothing this year (125/year x 4 yrs = 500 days). and will have reductions also for 50 days next year.
am I right?
thanks so much for your valuable information.
Just found this article on the website of OAED (dated 25/10).
http://www.oaed.gr/images/NEA-ANAKOINWSEIS/ASFALISI/proypotheseis_epidotisis_anergeias_dora_pasxa_xrist.pdf
This will be a disaster for all…
Why is this happening so quietly…so nobody will protest!??? We are talking about thousands of people……and no one is raising their voice???!!!
I do not exlude any action. it just came out officially.
What a timing, just before OXI-day
they say OXI to seasonal workers
Just curious to know what they do in other countries? I imagine in the USA (I could be wrong) that people who choose to not work full time and work seasonal jobs would not be compensated for not working. Why should taxpayers pay for people who are not working? I understand if people get laid off, that some unemployment benefits are necessary, and even in the USA, I think they get 1 year in most cases, but for people like season fruit pickers, tourist industries etc, the US system would say to go and get another job and not expect the state to pay for them not working, especially in Greece where I presume many work anyways illegally and then just don’t report the extra jobs and still get the unemployment seasonal benefits for not working.
Anyways, whatever way you slice this, there is just no money for programs like this. I feel sorry for them, but my father-in-law has had his pension cut down to almost peanuts, so everyone has to have a share in this austerity I presume.
nice long argument based on “I imagine… I presume…” this happens in other countries lol. But seriously. I know in the tourism sector, there’re higher contributions to insurance fund exactly to cover up the dead work time allowances. But as in case of paid pension contributions, no state officials feels even a little bit ashamed to cut with Troika orders.
“Why should taxpayers pay for people who are not working?” why don’t hotel, restaurant & shop onwers in tourism do not hire full year? I on my part could imagine tourists prepapring their own meals, clean their room and do big style hotel laundry, should tourism personnal disappear.
Did it ever occur to you to think that neither your father-in-law nor anybody else should have their income decimated in the first place? It also is a very illogical statement to make that because something happens to A it therefor must happen to B? Could it possibly be that the real crux here is that what happened to your father-in-law should not have happened in the first place? Like seasonal workers paying into a social fund to cover themselves for amongst other things the eventuality of unemployment, I assume your fatherin-law paid into a pension fund to enjoy a pension. It is therefor logical to conclude that both your father-in-law and the seasonal workers should have first preference when it comes to using thier taxes. It should alos be clear that these funds should not, ever, have been used to settle the debt of third parties. that, in anybody’s language except for the Neo-Liberal capitalist, is theft. The Neo-liberal capitalist calls it “adjustment”, but make sure he is not the one who is having his income adjusted…
As for the illegal (seasonal) workers, the main problem there is not the worker, but the employer who no doubt makes a lot more profit by employing illegal workers. No illegal workers without profiteering employers, in the same way that you cannot have reckless borrowing without reckless lending. And ulike the chicken and egg question, here we know 100% certain which comes first and isn’t tackled…
Agree…don’t blame Troika for all,look yourself in the mirror!!! I live in Grecce 11 years, never get unemployment money. Moving to Swiss or Austrin alps looking for job every winter. 2 years ago I became mother and it is not easy now. But I packing all my things in these days, start winter job in 3 weeks and be back in may for summer job here. With my baby and my husband. I scared of my future, my child will go to school in few years…I will probably live in Greece all year and my husband will go for winter job. It will be difficult, but I don’t complain. If you are season worker life is like this-(. Out of Greece is even harder (no benefits for 5 months ensima, but minimum 12 months ensima (2 seasons) for 3 months unemployment.
I am sorry for the people that are in really bad situation. But many people live in fairly tale for last decade.
Sadly enough, it’s not the ones who lived in fairy tale land who are paying the price for the excesses committed in fairly tale land…that is paid for by people like you, who have to move to Switzerland in order to survive the next 6 months or so. And while you are doing that, those responsible for the mess you are paying for are probably playing golf somewhere in Miami or drinking pina colada at the edge of their swimming pool by the villa in the Bahamas…
In Holland the law is that if you work for 26 weeks and you get fired you’ll get 70% of your last earned salary for 3 months. That’s the basic right. After that, if you cannot find a job, your are entitled for help from the government but only if you have less than about 11.000 in your bank account.
mart78: bravo sou! Consider yourself lucky to be able to do that, my husband will do the same (I cannot because of school for the children) but many don’t speak foreign languages and do not have the possibility (or the guts) to go somewhere else
I think the foreign language is not a problem. Remember all the Gastarbeiter in Germany in the 1960’s.
Do you pay jobless allowance contribution in Holland?
Yes, in Holland you pay jobless allowance contribution (like we do in Greece)
Yes, but in Holland, you pretty ladies all have those nice little wooden shoes too!
???