Greek Employment and Social Protection Minister Fani Palli Petralia on Thursday unveiled a package of measures, budgeted at 3.239 billion euros (US$4.209 billion), aimed at supporting employment and dealing with the consequences of an economic crisis in the country's labor market.

Presenting the measures, the minister said the money for the program will be covered by both national and community funds and stressed that the action will cover 1,333,000 workers and unemployed people, offering vocational training, supporting vulnerable social groups and subsidizing work.

Under the plan, the government will offer protection to shorter-week workers, offering financial support to vulnerable sectors of the economy, such as construction, engineering and tourism and offering financial support to small- and medium-sized enterprises for intra-enterprise training.

Petralia also announced a program for rescheduling social contribution debt by enterprises and stressed that the country's existing legal framework was adequate to support a shorter-working week in the country.