Windfall of benefits two days before the elections
The second biggest wave of payments by the Labor Ministry and the Welfare Benefits and Social Solidarity Organization (OPEKA) is completed on Friday, just two days before the polls open, so that millions of citizens arrive at the polling station with their pockets full of cash.
It was the need to make life easier for pensioners that the management of the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA) cited when deciding to pay out the June pensions earlier.
Therefore on Friday the pensioners of the public sector, of the former Social Security Fund (IKA) and the other funds of salary workers will receive their pensions early for next month. The same applies to the temporary pensions for uniformed officers.
The state will also pay out earlier, during next week, the rest of the June pensions, such as the monthly benefits for the self-employed professionals and the farmers next Tuesday.
The housing benefit is also due on Friday for applicants who supplied their documents by April 30. This sum comes to 49.57 million euros for 230,000 recipients and concern retroactively the period since January 1, 2019. This does not include the housing handouts that local authorities used to pay until last year and the state has now undertaken, and are also to be paid on Friday.
Friday also sees the payment of various other benefits to 154,248 recipients, that add up to 64.35 million euros.
