The law requires that at least 22 of the 41 trade unions recognised as representative in the public sector sign the general collective agreement for the sector in order for the wage deal to become valid.

Until today, 24 trade unions signed the agreement seen as a key step in completing a major stage in the long pay talks, the Public Administration Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.

Trade unions had until 18 August to sign the deal, which will be published in the Official Gazette after that date.

The deal, tentatively reached in July after months of negotiations, involves EUR 71.4m to be spent on wages annually, of which EUR 26.6m to rise the wages of the lowest paid workers such as cleaners, janitors and cooks, who earn below the minimum wage.

If the deal is confirmed, the pay increases will take effect in October.

This will not be the end of pay talks in the public sector, though.

Separate deals with police and doctors having been concluded earlier this year, the agreement deals mostly with the lowest-paid jobs and officials with special powers such as inspectors and customs officers.

But soldiers and professional firefighters are also unhappy with their pay and the latter have mentioned the possibility of a strike.

The next round of talks will therefore focus on the elimination of the remaining disparities across the public sector and the phasing out of the remaining austerity measures from 2012 that have been left in place after the financial and economic crisis.