The latest one-off welfare bonus announced by the embattled Tsipras government came over the weekend, with a top minister unveiling a 400-euro bonus to be disbursed to any registered unemployed person in the country aged between 18 and 24.
Dubbed a “youth solidarity” bonus by Labor Minister Efi Achtsioglou, eligible beneficiaries must have been registered on the Manpower Employment Agency’s (OAED) unemployment rolls as of Oct. 31, 2017, and still be unemployed until the current month, December.
An initial calculation points to roughly 55,000 people in the country as eligible, with the spending measure budgeted at slightly more than 20 million euros.
The latest welfare bonus again generated a sharp reaction by the opposition, with a top main opposition New Democracy (ND) party cadre charging that the outlay is simply the product of “over-taxation”.
“It’s also come from the state not paying off its debts to third parties, while 300,000 (new) pensions have still not been issued,” Makarios Lazaridis said. The latter serves as the communication consultant for ND President Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
