Working Paper No. 38: 'Social dialogue and collective bargaining in times of crisis: The case of Greece'

This paper is part of a series of national studies on collective bargaining and effective responses to the crisis under the Global Product on ‘Supporting collective bargaining and sound industrial relations’. It analyses the profound impacts of the financial crisis on industrial relations institutions and practices in Greece. A series of austerity measures have been put in place through new legislation. These include prohibition of salary increases, cuts in pay and benefits for public-sector employees, limits on public-sector hiring, increases in VAT and other taxes, changes in the limitations on mass layoffs and levels of severance compensation payments, and introduction of sub-minimum wages for new entrants to the labour market and those who are on apprenticeships.