Wow, I Can't Believe the Post Office Has Not Thought of This
From a Michael Lewis article on the European financial mess
To get around pay restraints in the calendar year the Greek government simply paid employees a 13th and even 14th monthly salary—months that didn’t exist.
Reminds me of Congress' action in (I believe) 1986. They moved Federal payday from the 30th of September to the 1st of October and saved a whole month in the fiscal year.
i'm surprised the USPS doesn't try to use month 13 and 14 as delivery dates.
That is nothing new; in Spain they get paid 14 times a year: in June and December they get double pay (supposedly extra money for the Summer holidays and Christmas presents).
FD
I'm not sure that's what it is about. In many (most?) European countries, it is entirely normal to have a "13th month salary". This almost certainly began as a Christmas bonus, and has evolved into a tradition.
Nowadays, it has lost this meaning. When you negotiate your salary for a new job, you negotiate an annual salary. If the company pays a 13th month salary, your monthly salary will be 1/13th of whatever you negotiate.
I am not specifically familiar with Greece, but in this regard I imagine it is similar to the rest of Europe.
I've probably said this before, but I was trying to think of the stupidest things you could do for a story. Turns out Greece does all that and then some. There is no price variation at the private pharmacies. Lawyers pay a percentage of earnings into a pool that gets redistributed, the proceeds can be so lucrative that some don't have to work. I really love the empty trains, reminds me of the empty public buses I've ridden. As for that 13th paycheck, my parents used to have a money withheld throughout the year and included in their final paycheck for presents.
Stupid Roman numerals...