The Social Agreement for Strengthening Collective Labor Agreements, signed between the Government and the National Social Partners to reinforce Collective Labor Agreements, was presented at a press conference held at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security by Minister Niki Kerameus and the representatives of the National Social Partners: Giannis Panagopoulos (GSEE), Spyros Theodoropoulos (SEV), Giorgos Kavvathas (GSEVEE), Stavros Kafounis (ESEE), Giannis Paraschis (SETE), and Loukia Saranti (SBE).
N. Kerameus: A cooperation framework that provides stability, security, and rules
“It is a historic agreement. Not only because something similar has never happened before in our country – a Government agreement with all National Social Partners of such scale – but mainly because the Agreement builds a cooperation framework that provides stability, security, and clear rules for everyone and marks the beginning of a new era for Collective Labor Agreements in Greece.
Soon, many more workers will be covered by Collective Agreements, with many significant benefits for them and for businesses. For workers, it means the possibility of increased wages and benefits, a stable, safe, and predictable working environment, and less stress since concerns about changes in working conditions are reduced. It is a profound breath of security and dignity.
For businesses, it means stability, the ability to invest in workers, an environment with clear rules without continuous or open-ended negotiations, a setting that facilitates growth and combats unfair competition,” stated Minister Kerameus.
G. Paraschis: Collective Agreements as a key condition recognized by tourism for economic development
“From the tourism sector’s perspective, the industry has consistently shown, even during the most difficult years of the memorandum period, a high sense of responsibility and commitment to social dialogue,” said the president of SETE. Mr. Paraschis emphasized that POX has consistently signed sectoral collective agreements, which are even declared mandatory. “It is a fundamental condition recognized by the tourism industry for economic development and social cohesion. We therefore support this important new agreement with the expectation that it will increase the percentage of workers covered by sectoral agreements, strengthen the institution of collective bargaining, and operate in complement to the good practices developed in the tourism sector in recent years through close and constructive cooperation among sectoral associations.”
It is worth noting that this is the first time such an agreement bears the signature of all National Social Partners and the State. At the same time, with the signing of the Social Agreement, the memorandum-era restrictions come to a definitive end.
Seven months of intensive and highly productive consultations preceded the agreement, involving the Ministry and representatives of the National Social Partners.
These consultations were concluded with the signing of a Social Agreement of historic significance, structured along three main pillars:
The first pillar concerns facilitating the extension of Collective Labor Agreements so that many more workers are protected by them. In this direction:
a) the required coverage percentage is reduced from 50% to 40%,
b) a new possibility is introduced for extending Collective Labor Agreements, since the 40% criterion will not be examined at all when the Agreement is co-signed by National Social Partners, and
c) GSEE is granted the ability to sign or co-sign sectoral Collective Labor Agreements as support when invited by a member organization, enabling the implementation of the extension. Additionally, procedures for registration in organizational registries (GEMISOE and GEMIOE) are simplified to enhance registration and, consequently, the potential for extending collective agreements.
Protection of workers after the expiration of Collective Agreements
The second pillar concerns full protection of workers after the expiration of Collective Labor Agreements. This strengthens stability and security in the workplace, as all rights are preserved intact until a new collective or individual agreement is signed. In this direction, all terms of a Collective Agreement continue to apply even after its expiration.
Initially, a three-month extension is granted. After this period, all terms of the Agreement remain in place until a new collective or individual contract is signed. The memorandum-era provision of partial continuation, in effect since 2012, is abolished, and the pre-memorandum framework of full continuation is reinstated. In addition, workers hired during the three-month extension are also covered.
The third pillar concerns accelerating procedures in case of disagreement between workers and employers. Better and faster processes are established for resolving disputes through OMED. Specifically, the Agreement introduces a pre-check mechanism for conditions enabling unilateral recourse to mediation or arbitration, conducted by a three-member committee within OMED. Also, the second level of arbitration in OMED is abolished to speed up dispute resolution, while maintaining the possibility of judicial review of arbitration decisions.
The Social Agreement implies multiple benefits for workers and businesses as it leads to the signing and extension of more Collective Labor Agreements, creates a safe and predictable working environment, fully protects workers’ rights even after agreement expiration, safeguards newly hired employees, creates conditions for further wage and benefit increases, strengthens fair competition, and ensures legality through clear definition of the scope of agreements and their extensions.
“Allow me to stress that the Social Agreement, beyond its benefits for workers and businesses, proves in practice that we must engage in dialogue. That through dialogue, we can reach agreements that benefit all parties. Workers, employers, and society as a whole.
I want once again to thank the representatives of the National Social Partners for their excellent cooperation and valuable contribution to achieving this Agreement. Special thanks to General Secretary Nikos Milapidis, who led the first critical phase of the negotiation with all technical teams of the Social Partners and played an active role in the second phase as well.
I also want to express our satisfaction because the roadmap for strengthening Collective Labor Agreements is not a unilateral government decision, but the product of dialogue and agreement between the State and all National Social Partners. This is a major achievement and simultaneously a significant starting point for expanding social dialogue at all levels. Today’s historic Social Agreement also proves something else: that there is far more that unites us than divides us. And we will continue working to broaden what unites us and reduce what divides us,” concluded the Minister.
The Action Plan for strengthening Collective Labor Agreements will be issued within December, while the Social Agreement will be legislated in early 2026.
The press conference was attended by Deputy Ministers of Labor and Social Security Anna Efthymiou and Kostas Karagounis, General Secretary for Labor Relations Nikos Milapidis, and General Secretary for Social Security Konstantinos Tsagkaropoulos.
