Greece today: €63.8m in e-ΕΦΚΑ and ΔΥΠΑ payments, fishermen pause their strike, and industrial output up 5.8% in August

e-ΕΦΚΑ and ΔΥΠΑ will pay €63.78m to 61,636 beneficiaries from 12 to 16 October 2026

e-ΕΦΚΑ (Ηλεκτρονικός Εθνικός Φορέας Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης, Ilektronikos Ethnikos Foreas Koinonikis Asfalisis), Greece's unified social-security fund, and ΔΥΠΑ (Δημόσια Υπηρεσία Απασχόλησης, Dimosia Ypiresia Apascholisis), the public employment service, will pay €63,782,008.50 to 61,636 beneficiaries between 12 and 16 October 2026.¹²³⁴ The Ministry of Labour and Social Security (Υπουργείο Εργασίας και Κοινωνικής Ασφάλισης, Ypourgeio Ergasias kai Koinonikis Asfalisis) announced the schedule on 9 October 2026.¹ The 61,636 beneficiaries are not all people: 2,600 of them are organisations.¹²³⁴

e-ΕΦΚΑ will pay €182,008.50 to 136 beneficiaries of benefits from the former ΟΑΕΕ (Οργανισμός Ασφάλισης Ελευθέρων Επαγγελματιών, Organismos Asfalisis Eleftheron Epangelmation), the old fund for the self-employed, on 14 October 2026.¹²³ Between 12 and 16 October 2026, e-ΕΦΚΑ will also pay €18m to 900 people whose decisions on lump-sum (εφάπαξ, efapax) retirement payments have been issued.¹²³

ΔΥΠΑ's payments between 12 and 16 October 2026 are:¹²³

• €22m to 36,000 beneficiaries of unemployment and other benefits;
• €3m to 4,000 mothers on subsidised maternity leave;
• €19m to 18,000 beneficiaries of subsidised employment programmes;
• €1.6m to 2,600 organisations, for contributions under community-benefit programmes.

The ministry gives no single day for any of the ΔΥΠΑ payments, only the 12–16 October 2026 window.¹ The list does not include main pensions.¹ By our calculation, e-ΕΦΚΑ pays €18.18m to 1,036 beneficiaries and ΔΥΠΑ €45.6m to 60,600 beneficiaries.¹²

Fishermen suspend their strike after meeting Mitsotakis, but warn they could return

Fishermen in Greece announced on 9 October 2026 that they were temporarily suspending their strike.⁵⁷ It had lasted nine days.⁵⁶ Their main complaint is the higher cost of fishing fuel.⁵⁶⁷ On Thursday 8 October 2026, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met fishermen's representatives in Halkidiki.⁵⁶⁸ Margaritis Schinas, Greece's Minister of Rural Development and Food, also attended.⁵⁶⁸

Mitsotakis told them "I will deal with the issue personally" and "we will exhaust the possibilities to help you substantially, financially" (in our translation).⁵⁶⁸ The fishermen said they would wait for the government's announcements in the coming days and for the prime minister to look into their problem personally, as he had promised.⁵⁷ They warned that if the promises were not kept, they would return "all together with much more forceful action" (in our translation).⁵⁷ None of the reports we read gives an amount, a specific measure or a date for the further support promised at the meeting.⁵⁶⁷⁸ Newsbomb and EfSyn report that the government had already doubled the fishing-fuel subsidy for April to August 2026, to as much as 32 cents a litre; according to EfSyn, the fishermen say it covers "not even half" of their extra costs (in our translation).⁶⁸

Greek industrial production rose 5.8% in August 2026

Greece's industrial production index was 5.8% higher in August 2026 than in August 2025, according to provisional figures adjusted for working days.^9101112 The figures were published on 9 October 2026 by ΕΛΣΤΑΤ (Ελληνική Στατιστική Αρχή, Elliniki Statistiki Archi), the Hellenic Statistical Authority.⁹¹¹ In August 2025 the index had fallen 2.1% on the year before.⁹ Seasonally adjusted, industrial production rose 2.0% in August 2026 compared with July 2026.^9101112 The average for January to August 2026 was 3.1% higher than for the same eight months of 2025.^9101112

Compared with August 2025, electricity supply rose 13.2% in August 2026, manufacturing 4.0% and mining and quarrying 1.5%, while water supply fell 2.5%.^9101112 By our reading of these figures, electricity supply grew fastest of the four sectors.⁹ ELSTAT says the largest percentage rise among individual industries, compared with August 2025, was in motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, and the largest fall was in clothing.⁹ ELSTAT's release gives no reasons for these changes.⁹

e-ΕΦΚΑ now sends decisions on buying back insurance time digitally, but applications still go through branches

From 8 October 2026, e-ΕΦΚΑ has started issuing its decisions on recognising insurance time for freelancers, the self-employed and farmers through a new online service.¹³¹⁴¹⁵ This is the first of a set of new digital functions.¹³¹⁴¹⁵ Recognition of insurance time (αναγνώριση χρόνου ασφάλισης, anagnorisi chronou asfalisis) lets insured people buy back periods that can count towards a pension.¹³¹⁴ The change is set out in general document 3017504 of 9 October 2026 from e-ΕΦΚΑ's Directorate-General of Contributions (Γενική Διεύθυνση Εισφορών, Geniki Diefthynsi Eisforon).¹³¹⁴

The decision now goes to the insured person's single record on e-ΕΦΚΑ (Ενιαία Καρτέλα, Eniaia Kartela), which they open with their TAXISnet tax-portal login, and they are notified by e-mail.¹³¹⁴¹⁵ The notice shows the total buy-back amount, how it is to be paid (as a lump sum or in instalments), and a unique payment code.¹³¹⁵

Applications cannot yet be made online: in this first phase, people still apply "as before" through the competent e-ΕΦΚΑ branches (in our translation).¹³¹⁴¹⁵ The circular gives no date for moving applications online.¹³

Athens Labour Centre calls a strike in the Athens area for Wednesday 25 November 2026

The Athens Labour Centre (Εργατικό Κέντρο Αθήνας, Ergatiko Kentro Athinas, ΕΚΑ) has called a general strike across Athens for Wednesday 25 November 2026.¹⁶¹⁷ It says the strike is against "the policy of high prices" and "the budget of war involvement and austerity" (in our translation).¹⁶ The labour centres of Piraeus, Patras and Evia and several sector federations have also called the strike.¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸ Neither report lists ΓΣΕΕ (GSEE), the private-sector union confederation, among the bodies calling the strike.¹⁶¹⁷ The demands include collective agreements with pay rises, higher pensions, the return of the 13th and 14th monthly pension, and of the 13th and 14th salary for public-sector workers, and more funding for health and education.¹⁶¹⁷