The Ministry of Labour and Social Security () is a government department of Greece. The Ministry is responsible for the labour market, employment, and social security.

Its current name was given in June 2023 when the second government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis renamed the "Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs" to the "Ministry of Labour and Social Security".

The incumbent minister is Niki Kerameus.

History The Ministry of Labour was first established in October 1935 by the Kondylis government, following the urging of Georgios Kartalis, who also served as its first Minister. After one year, in January 1936, the new Demertzis government abolished the ministry. Following the coup of August 4, 1936, by Ioannis Metaxas, the "Deputy ministry of Labour" was established, under the "Ministry of National Economy", with the responsibility "...to systematically ensure harmonious cooperation between labour and capital, to promote the National Economy and the moral and material upliftment of the working classes."ΦΕΚ Α 379/ 1936 In November 1936, it was upgraded to an independent Deputy Ministry. Aristeidis Dimitratos, former General Secretary of the GSEE (General Confederation of Greek Workers), who, as a repentant communist, joined the conservative faction during this period, served as Deputy Minister. During his tenure as minister, state control over the labor market was strengthened, many professions were declared "closed" and "protected," and businesses were prohibited from dismissing employees without government approval. At the same time, a minimum daily wage was established, regardless of the days worked, industry-wide labor contracts were systematized, the eight-hour workday was further implemented, and labor legislation was more formally enforced.

With the onset of the military dictatorship, the Ministry of Labor was abolished, and its responsibilities were transferred to the Ministry of National Economy. A deputy minister responsible for employment issues was appointed to oversee these matters. When the Ministry of National Economy was dissolved under the Markezinis government, one of the five ministries that emerged from its dissolution was the Ministry of Employment. This "Ministry of Employment," established for the first time, essentially absorbed the responsibilities of the abolished "Ministry of Labor." It was responsible for implementing government policy on matters concerning the employment of the country's workforce.

In August 1976, the Konstantinos Karamanlis government reinstated the name Ministry of Labour. Konstantinos Laskaris served as the Minister of Labor for all the initial post-dictatorship New Democracy governments, holding the portfolio from November 21, 1974, until October 21, 1981. Laskaris was heavily criticized by the Left, particularly for Law 330/1976, which aimed to control the forms of labor demands, restricting spontaneous worker uprisings and granting increased intervention powers to the executive and judicial authorities.

In September 1995, the social security sector was detached from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the corresponding department, the "General Secretariat of Social Security", was incorporated into the Ministry of Labor, where it has remained since. The Ministry was renamed to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. In 2001, the government of Costas Simitis attempted a reform in social security policy, mainly in its pension arm, by increasing the retirement age (abolishing the 35-year service requirement and introducing the principle of retirement after 40 years of work), reducing pensions, and cutting early retirements, which sparked significant social unrest. This unrest also arose within the ranks of the ruling party, prompting Costas Simitis to "back down" and indefinitely postpone the reform.

List of ministers Labour (1976–1997)

Labour and Social Security (1995–2001)

Employment and Social Protection (2004–2009) Name Took office Left office PartyPanos Panagiotopoulos 10 March 200415 February 2006 New DemocracySavvas Tsitouridis15 February 200630 April 2007Vasilios Magginas30 April 200717 December 2007Fani Palli-Petralia17 December 20077 October 2009

Labour and Social Security (2009–2012) Name Took office Left office PartyAndreas Loverdos7 October 20097 September 2010 PASOKLouka Katseli7 September 201017 June 2011Giorgos Koutroumanis17 June 201117 May 2012Antonis Roupakiotis17 May 201221 June 2012

Labour, Social Security and Welfare (2012–2015) Name Took office Left office PartyIoannis Vroutsis21 June 201227 January 2015New Democracy

Labour and Social Solidarity (2015) Name Took office Left office PartyPanos Skourletis27 January 201518 July 2015Syriza

Labour, Social Insurance and Social Solidarity (2015–2019) Name Took office Left office PartyGeorgios Katrougalos18 July 201527 August 2015SyrizaDimitris Moustakas28 August 201521 September 2015IndependentGeorgios Katrougalos23 September 20155 November 2016 SyrizaEffie Achtsioglou5 November 20169 July 2019

Labour and Social Affairs (2019–2023) Name Took office Left office PartyGiannis Vroutsis9 July 20195 January 2021 New DemocracyKostis Hatzidakis5 January 202126 May 2023Patrina Paparrigopoulou26 May 202327 June 2023

Labour and Social Security (2023–present) Name Took office Left office PartyAdonis Georgiadis27 June 20234 January 2024 New DemocracyDomna Michailidou4 January 202414 June 2024Niki Kerameus14 June 2024incumbent

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