"I feel like I've been cheated," Petra says bluntly as she thinks of her tough working conditions and gloomy prospects for retirement. Her employer, a services firm, pays her €10.51 gross per hour - leaving her with a take-home pay packet of €1,115 per month after working 39 hours each week. After rent and bills, that leaves some €350 per month to cover food, clothing, diabetes medications, and an occasional ice cream treat. "I just hope that I'll still be in good enough shape physically to keep working a €450-per-month job after retirement." But she is certain that "until we have a completely different government, nothing is going to change".

Source: The Local May 11, 2017 07:07 UTC