Wayzata World Factbook 1996/The World Factbook - 1996 Edition - Wayzata Technology (3079) (1996).iso/mac/TEXT/HUMANrts/GREECE.TXV

Text File | 1996-01-04 | 7KB | 156 lines

TITLE:  GREECE HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES, 1994
AUTHOR:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DATE:  FEBRUARY 1995



Section 6 Worker Rights

     a.   The Right of Association

The Constitution and subsequent legislation provide for the
right of association.  All workers, with the exception of the
military and the police, have the right to form or join unions.

Approximately 30 percent of Greek workers (nearly 1 million
persons) were organized in unions in 1994.  Unions receive most
of their funding from a Ministry of Labor organization, the
Workers' Hearth, which distributes mandatory contributions from
employees and employers.  Only the five most powerful public
sector unions have dues-withholding provisions in their
contracts, in addition to receiving Workers' Hearth subsidies.
Following the recommendation of the International Labor
Organization (ILO), the Government in 1990 enacted a law ending
its financial involvement in trade union affairs and the
collection of union dues.  Strong union reaction, however, led
to new legislation in 1994 which allowed unions to continue to
receive Workers' Hearth funds.

Over 4,000 unions are grouped into regional and sectoral
federations and two umbrella confederations, one for civil
servants and one, the General Confederation of Greek Workers
(GSEE), for private sector employees.  Unions are highly
politicized, and there are party-affiliated factions within the
labor confederations, but day-to-day operations are not
controlled by political parties or the Government.  There are
no restrictions on who may serve as a union official.  Unions
maintain a variety of international affiliations and are free
to join international associations.

Legislation passed in 1994 mandates a skeleton staff during
strikes affecting public services, such as electricity,
transportation, communications, and banking.  During strikes in
June and July, skeleton staffs did not ensure that essential
services continued uninterrupted; however, there were no legal
repercussions for the unions.

Legal restrictions on strikes include a mandatory period of
notice, which is 4 days for public utilities and 24 hours for
the private sector.  Public utility companies, state-owned
banks, the postal service, Olympic Airways, and the railroads
are also required to maintain a skeleton staff during strikes.

The courts have the power to declare strikes illegal, although
such decisions are seldom enforced.  Unions complain, however,
that this judicial power serves as a deterrent to some of their
membership from participating in strikes.  In 1994 the courts
declared a majority of strikes illegal for a variety of
reasons, but no striking workers were prosecuted.  The
Government may also declare "civil mobilization" of workers in
the event of danger to national security, life, property, or
the social and economic life of the country.  It threatened to
do so when air traffic controllers staged a work slowdown in
August-September.  The ILO Committee of Experts has criticized
this power as violating the standards of ILO Convention 29 on
forced labor.  The Government resorted to civil mobilization in
December 1993 to resolve a bus owners' strike in opposition to
government efforts to deprivatize the Athens bus system.

     b.   The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

Legislation passed in 1955 and amended in 1990 ensured the
right to organize and bargain collectively in the private
sector and in public corporations.  These rights were respected
in practice.  There were no restrictions on collective
bargaining for private sector employees.  The Union of Civil
Servants negotiates with the Office of the Minister to the
Prime Minister.

In 1993 the Government passed a decree setting limits to wage
and salary increases for public enterprises employees.  A
complaint to the ILO by the General Confederation of Greek
Workers led the ILO Committee of Experts to request that the
Government stop intervening in the collective bargaining
process by setting maximum wage levels.

In response to union complaints that most labor disputes ended
in compulsory arbitration, legislative remedies were enacted in
1989 providing for mediation procedures, with compulsory
arbitration as a last resort.  The legislation establishing a
national mediation, reconciliation, and arbitration
organization went into effect in January 1992 and applies to
the public sector and public corporations (the military and
civil service excluded).

Antiunion discrimination is prohibited.  The Labor Inspectorate
or the courts investigates complaints of discrimination against
union members or organizers.  Court rulings have mandated the
reinstatement of improperly fired union organizers.

Greece has no export processing zones.

     c.   Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

The Constitution prohibits forced or compulsory labor, and the
Ministry of Justice enforces this prohibition.

     d.   Minimum Age for Employment of Children

The minimum age for employment in the industrial sector is
15 years, with higher limits for certain activities.  The
minimum age is 12 in family businesses, theaters, and the
cinema.  These age limits are enforced by occasional Labor
Inspectorate spot checks and are generally respected.  However,
families engaged in agriculture, food service, or merchandising
often have younger family members assisting them, at least
part-time.  Education is free and compulsory for all children
through the ninth grade.

     e.   Acceptable Conditions of Work

Collective bargaining between the GSEE and the Employers'
Association determines a nationwide minimum wage.  The Ministry
of Labor routinely ratifies this minimum wage, which has the
force of law and applies to all Greek workers.  The minimum
wage ($21 daily and $463 monthly) was sufficient for a decent
standard of living for a worker and family.

The maximum legal workweek is 40 hours in the private sector
and 37 1/2 hours in the public sector.  A law that took effect
in 1992 significantly extended legal operating hours for retail
establishments, provided that the average workweek did not
exceed the legal maximum over a period of time.  The law
provides for at least one 24-hour rest period per week,
mandates paid vacation of 1 month per year, and sets limits on
overtime.

Legislation provides for minimum standards of occupational
health and safety.  Although the GSEE characterized health and
safety legislation as satisfactory, it charged that
enforcement, the responsibility of the Labor Inspectorate, was
inadequate.  In 1992 the GSEE cited statistics indicating a
high number of job-related accidents over the past two
decades.  Inadequate inspection, failure to enforce
regulations, outdated industrial plant and equipment, and poor
safety training of employees contributed to the accident rate.
Workers did not have the legal right to remove themselves from
situations they believed endangered their health.  They did
have the right, however, to lodge a confidential complaint with
the Labor Inspectorate.  Inspectors had the right to close down
machinery or a process for a period of up to 5 days if they saw
safety or health hazards which they believe represented an
imminent danger to the workers.