Alpha News

How Will the Minimum Wage Be Determined? Legislation and Disagreements

Published January 20, 2026, 21:13

The government is promoting the “Minimum Wage Adequacy Law of 2026” to align with the European Directive. Consultation with social partners has been completed, but significant disagreements remain regarding how to legislate the provisions of the directive. Employer organizations (OEB and KEVE) point out areas that do not require legislative regulation and request the removal of references to issues such as Ergani. The directive proposes calculating the minimum wage based on 60% of gross median wage and 50% of gross average wage, which is also adopted in the bill. Trade unions (PEO) emphasize the absence of specific regulation for already agreed wages in sectoral collective agreements and request a meeting with the President of the Republic to resolve the issue before the bill is submitted to Parliament.