Greek government spokesman draws backlash after proposing two-month cap on unemployment benefits

Remarks on national broadcaster ERT

Pavlos Marinakis, the Greek government spokesman and deputy minister to the prime minister, ignited a political dispute on 11 September 2026 after calling for a restriction on unemployment benefits during a television interview on ERT. Marinakis stated that unemployment allowances should be evaluated from a zero base and argued that payments should not continue for longer than two months. During the broadcast, he contended that Greece's current unemployment rate is lower than that of several stronger economies, calling the reduction an achievement for the country. He further asserted that there is currently no individual in Greece who wants to find employment and cannot find a job.

Spokesman clarifies remarks as personal opinion

Following criticism from multiple opposition groups, Marinakis addressed his comments later in the day during an interview with the Rhodes radio station Real Voice 99.5. He asserted that the reacting political parties were knocking on open doors, explaining that he had explicitly framed his suggestion as a personal position rather than an official government proposal during the televised broadcast. Marinakis stated that he had articulated this perspective repeatedly in the past. He added that if such a proposal were ever considered for implementation, the state would need to establish targeted provisions for specific vulnerable categories, including unemployed mothers, older jobseekers, and seasonal workers.

Those parties that issued statements are actually knocking on open doors, given the fact that in the interview I gave, I clarified more than once that I am expressing a purely personal position and this proposal does not constitute a central government proposal.

PASOK rejects distinction between personal and official views

Opposition parties swiftly rejected the spokesman's clarification, maintaining that a government spokesman and close aide to the prime minister cannot detach personal views from state policy. Kostas Tsoukalas, the press spokesperson for PASOK-Movement for Change, described Marinakis as a stalking horse who revealed New Democracy's hidden agenda in the event of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis winning re-election. In a subsequent party statement, PASOK rejected the defense, declaring that government spokespersons do not express personal views and terming the two-month proposal an extreme anti-social position. Tsoukalas stated that society has paid enough for the ruling party's neoliberal policies, contrasting the proposal with PASOK's platform to strengthen collective bargaining agreements and return the statutory minimum wage setting to social partners.

SYRIZA and ELAS condemn proposed welfare cuts

Speaking at a press conference during the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair, SYRIZA Central Committee Secretary Nikos Pappas characterized the proposal as repulsive social engineering that wrongly portrays all unemployed individuals as people avoiding work. Pappas demanded that Prime Minister Mitsotakis clarify his party's official stance before seeking voter support, while calling for the proposal to be withdrawn from public debate. He also noted that the government has yet to explain the widening divergence between unemployment figures released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority and those recorded by the Public Employment Service.

I wholeheartedly hope that Mr Marinakis's opinion remains personal.

Anna Papadopoulou, deputy press spokesperson for ELAS, stated that unemployment assistance is financed directly by workers' social contributions rather than acting as state charity. Papadopoulou criticized the administration's fiscal priorities, contrasting the proposed two-month limit on unemployment aid with the refusal to impose higher taxes on the wealthiest 1% of the population.