First collective agreement signed at Cosmote

* The rates provided in the EGSSE refer to unmarried employees with no previous service.

The Cosmote agreement introduces new pay grades, within which employees' previous service in the same or a related occupation with any employer (certified by the social insurance stamp record card or certification from previous employers) plays a key role. Recognition of previous service in grading was a key demand of the enterprise-level union during the bargaining over the agreement, and its inclusion is expected to exert a significant influence on the pay of most Cosmote employees.

Apart from the increases in wage rates - which are substantial, due in part to the company’s positive operating results and increased profits - important financial benefits for workers will also derive from a broader package of pay supplements. Most of them are higher than those set in other collective agreements, and some are innovative by Greek standards. The pay supplements are calculated as a percentage of basic wages in the pay category applying to the employee concerned, and are as follows:

• family allowance;

• graduate allowance;

• 'responsibility' allowance; and

• allowance for dangerous and unhealthy work

Non-pay issues

The Cosmote agreement contains important provisions on various non-pay issues, such as organisation of working time and leave, the reconciliation of work and family life, maternity protection and private insurance for employees.

On working time, the agreement provides that:

• all employees, irrespective of pay category, are entitled to a 30-minute break on a daily basis. At the same time, special breaks are provided for employees in particular jobs, such as those employed in the customer service and network supervision departments - these are short breaks with a total duration of 40-60 minutes; and

• all employees working shifts are entitled to exchange shifts or weekly rest days, after making arrangements with a colleague and obtaining the consent of management.

With regard to maternity and reconciliation of work and family life, the key provisions are that:

• childcare leave may be granted in the form of giving working mothers the right to take an unbroken six months of leave for this purpose immediately after maternity leave ends, in lieu of working shorter hours for three years;

• pregnant women working on an alternating shift schedule may request to work the same shift throughout their pregnancy and in the same department and with the same duties as before the pregnancy. In addition, mothers working alternating shifts may opt to work the same shift for three years after maternity leave ends;

• a right to paid absence from work for prenatal examinations is introduced;

• the company will contribute to the babysitting expenses of working parents. The contribution per employee amounts to EUR 200 and EUR 240 for 2004 and 2005 respectively; and

• leave to monitor children’s progress in school is granted to employees with school-age children. The total length of such leave is four working days or 32 hours per calendar year.

With regard to private insurance, the company will continue to insure employees on terms and conditions no less favourable than those in effect before the collective agreement was signed.

Joint consultation committee

During the process of concluding the collective agreement, the Cosmote employees’ trade union and company management agreed to set up a joint consultation committee, consisting of three representatives of management and three representatives of the employees. This equal representation on the committee constitutes another innovation in Greek collective bargaining and worker participation. The committee’s duties are:

• consultation to ensure that the terms and conditions of the 2004-5 company agreement are implemented;

• examination of all procedural issues related to regulating working conditions (working hours, overtime and compensation for work away from home base);

• consultation on the possibility and feasibility of extending the terms of the company’s insurance coverage and employee and management participation to the private insurance scheme for company staff; and

• dealing with other issues regarding workers' benefits and improvement of the company’s human resources, industrial relations and social dialogue policy.

Commentary

The two-year agreement recently concluded at Cosmote is a landmark deal not only for the company’s employees but for all workers in the sector. It should be noted that there have been no similar initiatives on the sectoral level in telecommunications, despite the significant employment growth shown in recent years by the telecommunications sector and the liberalisation of the domestic mobile telephony market. In addition, the advanced regulations of the Cosmote agreement, with regard both to the level of pay increases and to various non-pay issues, set an example broader areas of the economy and occupations, particularly in the private sector. (Lefteris Kretsos, INE-GSEE/ADEDY)