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Staff-welfare - Greece

Updated 12/2011

Legal requirements

All companies must comply with a number of laws protecting employees from discrimination, unequal treatment and exploitation, as well as ensuring health and safety standards are respected in the workplace.

Social rules

Non-discrimination, equal treatment and gender equality

The General Secretariat for Gender Equality promotes and provides information on equality issues, and carries out activities and programmes to boost female employment.

The law on equal treatment (irrespective of race or ethnic origin, religion or other faith, disability, age, or sexual orientation) covers employment anti-discrimination rules. It forbids all forms of discrimination such as access to work and employment, employment terms, work conditions, etc.

  • Implementation of Equal Opportunities and Treatment for Both Sexes (Act 3896/2010 - Government Gazette 207/2010) pdf [340 KB] ελληνικά

The law on the protection of minors regulates the employment of minors, setting rules on issues from working hours to wages and the documents to be kept by employers.

  • Tasks, projects and activities where it is forbidden to employ minors pdf [145 KB] ελληνικά
  • Law on the protection of minors at work pdf [110 KB] ελληνικά

Health and safety at work

The Office of Working Conditions and Health at Work is responsible for issues relating to health and safety at work.  The Labour Inspectorate ensures that companies respect laws relating to health and safety at work.

  • Ministry of Labour and Social Security ελληνικά
  • Labour Inspectorate ελληνικά
  • Ministerial Decision 4881/102/2010 (Government Gazette 340/B/30.3.2010) Training for employers on issues relating to exercising technical security duties in their companies if they fall in category C in accordance with Presidential Decree 294/88, and have less than 50 employees - Programmes 2010 ελληνικά
  • Ministerial Decision no. 16935/D10.104/2010 (Government Gazette 1346/B/31.8.2010) Conditions relating to the provision of services and time limits for the compulsory employment of security technicians in the performance of shipbuilding works on ships ελληνικά
  • Act 3850/2010 (Government Gazette 84/A/2.6.2010) Ratification of the code of laws on health and safety of employees ελληνικά

The Hellenic Institute for Occupational Work and Safety is a non-profit organisation founded both by employer organisations and trade unions. Its responsibilities include:

  • identifying health risks in the workplace;
  • analysing health and safety laws;
  • disseminating information;
  • providing expertise.

The website of the Hellenic Institute for Occupational Work and Safety is:

Labour law

Contract law

The conclusion of collective bargaining agreements is defined by the following legislation:

  • Law on the conclusion of collective bargaining agreements pdf [173 KB] ελληνικά
  • Managing staff - Greece
  • Collective bargaining agreements ελληνικά

Labour relations

Legislation on labour relations is available through the Hellenic Institute for Occupational Work and Safety website.

  • Labour provisions ελληνικά

These fall under the responsibility of competent offices in the local prefectures (Labour Directorates):

  • Approval or rejection of complaints by employee associations with regard to labour regulation provisions
  • Ratification of internal labour regulations for businesses, holdings and operations, employing under 70 persons
  • The hearing of appeals against penalties imposed on employees under the ratified labour regulations.

Labour protection

The Hellenic Institute for Occupational Health and Safety has, in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, issued a Guide on the relevant legislation:

  • Guide on employer obligations pdf [95 KB] ελληνικά

Litigation

The main task of the Organisation for Mediation and Arbitration is to aid negotiating parties when negotiations reach an impasse, to find their own solution through the institution of Mediation.

  • Organisation for Mediation and Arbitration ελληνικά

Mandatory social rules complete the requirements related to managing staff.

Businesses are free to go beyond the minimum social legal requirements at their own initiative.

Administrative procedures

Non-discrimination, equal treatment and gender equality

A number of public bodies promote the Principle of Equal Treatment, enshrined in various instruments.  These are:

  • The Citizen Ombudsman ελληνικά
  • The Equal Treatment Commission of the Ministry of Justice ελληνικά
  • The Economic and Social Committee ελληνικά

Health and safety at work

Health and Safety at Work is the responsibility of all businesses employing at least one employee.

The employer is responsible for the safety and health of his/her employees and is not exempt from this responsibility when employees do not meet their obligations or when he/she entrusts occupational risk protection and prevention duties to Safety Technicians and/or the competent External Protection and Prevention Services.

Social insurance

A detailed presentation of employers' rights and obligations is available on the Social Insurance Institute (IKA) website:

  • Employer's guide ελληνικά

To better serve employers in the use of electronic services, the Social Insurance Institute (IKA) provides a number of aids, as well as all the necessary social security forms, on its website (policyholder census, contributions, etc.)

  • Digital Greece - Social Insurance Institute ελληνικά         Online government service

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

  • References

    Legal texts

    • Presidential Decree 456/1984 "Civil Code and Introductory Legislation" (Government Gazette A' 164/17-24.10.1984) ελληνικά
    • Act 3850/2010 (Government Gazette 84/A/2.6.2010) Ratification of the code of laws on health and safety of employees ελληνικά
    • Act 1568/85 "Employee health and safety" (Government Gazette Α' 177/18-10-1985) pdf [237 KB] ελληνικά
    • Presidential Decree 294/88 "Minimum employment period for safety technicians and work doctors, safety technician knowledge and expertise level for companies, farms and operations included under paragraph 1(1) of law 1568/1985 "Employee health and safety" (Government Gazette Α' 138/21-6-1988) pdf [119 KB] ελληνικά
    • Act 1837/89 "Protection of minors with regard to employment and other provisions" (Government Gazette Α' 85/23-3-1989) pdf [110 KB] ελληνικά
    • Act 1876/90 on the "Control of collective redundancies and other provisions" (Government Gazette Α΄ 27/8-3-1990) pdf ελληνικά
    • Presidential Decree 17/96 "Measures on improving employee safety and health at work in compliance with directives 89/391/EEC and 91/383/EEC (Government Gazette Α' 11/18-1-1996) pdf [212 KB] ελληνικά
    • Act 2639/98 "Regulation of labour relations, set up of a Labour Inspectorate, and other provisions" (Government Gazette A' 205/2-9-1998) pdf [2 MB] ελληνικά
    • Presidential Decree 159/99 "Amendment to presidential decree 17/96 "Measures to improve employee safety and health at work in compliance with directives 89/391/EEC and 91/383/EEC" (11/Α) and presidential decree 70a/88 "Protection of employees exposed to asbestos at work" (31/Α) as amended by presidential decree 175/97 (150/Α)" (Government Gazette Α' 157/3-8-1999) pdf [96 KB] ελληνικά
    • Ministerial Decision 130621/2003 "Tasks, projects and activities whereby the employment of minors is forbidden" (Government Gazette Β' 875/2-7-2003) pdf [145 KB] ελληνικά
    • Act 3304/2005 "Application of the principle of equal treatment irrespective of race or ethnic origin, religion or other faith, disability, age, or sexual orientation" (Government Gazette Α' 16/27-1-2005) pdf [144 KB] ελληνικά
    • Act 3488/2006 "Application of the principle of equal treatment of men and women with respect to access to employment, vocational training and development, employment terms and work conditions, and other relevant provisions" (Government Gazette Α' 191/11-9-2006) pdf [321 KB] ελληνικά
    • Legislation on subjects relating to health and safety at work ελληνικά

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