Employment 2025

GREECE Law and Practice Contributed by: Nikolas Sigkridis, Semina Zavitsanou, Chrysa Kalantzi and Yannis Ragos, POTAMITISVEKRIS

compliance with health and safety regulations. Finally, they have information rights. European Works Councils They aim to ensure the effective exercise of employ - ees’ rights to information and consultation in EU-scale companies or groups of undertakings. They hold the right to information and consultation (but not co-deci - sion-making), with the company or group. 6.3 Collective Bargaining Agreements CLAs traditionally regulate the employment relation - ship between employers and employees under subor - dinate employment contracts. Although the possibility for economically subordinate self-employed workers to conclude CLAs was introduced in the 1990s, no such CLA has been concluded to date. More recently, Law 4808/2021, which governs platform-based work, explicitly provided for freelancers in the gig economy to conclude collective agreements. A landmark devel - opment was the 2025 collective agreement between Wolt and the Union of Self-Employed Delivery Workers of Thessaloniki – the first of its kind to cover digital platform delivery workers in Greece. Types of CLAs Depending on their scope and the level at which they are concluded, these include the following. Enterprise-level CLAs These are agreements negotiated within a single com - pany and apply to all its employees, regardless of role or position. These agreements are typically negotiated between the employer and enterprise trade unions and are tailored to reflect the company’s financial and These apply to employees in the same profession, regardless of which company employs them. These agreements promote professional solidarity and aim to protect the shared interests of workers with similar qualifications. Depending on the agreement, their ter - ritorial scope can be national, regional or local. Sectoral CLAs These cover employees working in similar or related industries and may also apply nationally or regionally. operational realities. Occupational CLAs

These agreements are often multi-occupational and play a key role in shaping collective labour standards while supporting broader economic stability. National General Collective Labour Agreement (NGCLA) This applies across the country to all employees in terms of non-wage working conditions. In terms of wages, however, it only binds employers who are members of the employer associations that signed the agreement (for all others, the statutory minimum wage applies). The NGCLA sets general standards and acts as a reference point for preserving social cohesion and minimum working conditions nationwide. Binding Effect and Extension Mechanism Occupational and sectoral CLAs bind only those employers and employees who are members of the signatory organisations. However, under certain cir - cumstances, the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs has the authority to declare such agreements gen - erally binding. In that case, the CLA applies univer - sally within the relevant sector or profession – even to non-members. The CLAs in the hospitality and food service sectors are among those most commonly declared universally binding by ministerial decision. Duration, Expiry and Metenergeia (After-Effect Period) CLAs usually have a duration of one to three years and expire either after the agreed period or termina - tion. When a CLA expires, its regulatory provisions (ie, those affecting employment conditions) continue to apply for a grace period of three months – or six months in the case of the NGCLA. After this period, certain core terms remain in force under the doctrine of metenergeia . These include the basic salary or daily wage, as well as allowances for seniority, children, education and hazardous work – provided they were part of the previous agreement. All other terms cease to apply. Negotiation and Dispute Resolution CLAs are the result of collective bargaining between employer and employee representatives. If negotia - tions break down, employees may resort to strikes. Both parties also have the option of engaging in medi - ation, and, if necessary, arbitration. In specific cases,

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