GSEE seeks legislative intervention to implement national agreement

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In late July 2000, the Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) requested the government to take the legislative action necessary to implement a number of provisions of the National General Collective Agreement for 2000-2001 relating to pay, leave and policies to support the long-term unemployed.

In a letter sent to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on 27 July 2000, the Greek General Confederation of Labour (GSEE) requested legislative intervention by the Ministry in order to ensure the immediate, unimpeded implementation of the agreements included in the National General Collective Agreement (EGSSE) for 2000 and 2001. The EGSSE was concluded in May 2000 by GSEE and employers' organisations (GR0006175N), and its implementation requires legislative action on a number of issues relating to pay and leave, as well as policies to support long-term unemployed people. GSEE is calling for intervention on:

• coverage by the Account for Employment and Vocational Training (LAEK) of the pension contributions of long-term unemployed people, in order to given them entitlement to a pension five years before retirement age (implementing Article 12 of the EGSSE);
• extension of long-service benefits for a fifth three-year period, for workers and technicians who have 15 years of service in the same or a different job (Article 4);
• better severance pay for workers and technicians with 25 years of service;
• improved annual leave provisions (Article 6);
• increasing maternity leave to 17 weeks, by adding another week to the leave granted after confinement (Article 7);
• leave for care of adopted children (Article 8);
• leave to take part in examinations for promotion of lifelong learning (Article 9);
• leave for marriage and childbirth (Article 10);
• leave to care for dependent family members who are ill (Article 11); and
• tax exemption for workers' severance pay of amounts up to GRD 10 million, awarded due to termination of an employment contract (Article 16).