Greece’s biggest employers’ group, the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), this week unveiled a detailed set of positions ahead of what’s expected to be tough negotiations between institutional creditors and the Greek government over the former’s demands for labor market reforms.
SEV’s high-profile position statements come in the wake a government initiative this month to create a “joint front” amongst the country’s “social partners” ahead of the negotiations this autumn.
Creditors want reforms in Greece’s labor sector, such as liberalizing the framework of union activities and decisions and taking away the relevant labor minister’s approval over private sector mass layoffs, among others.
Nevertheless, with its position paper on Thursday, the employers’ group differentiates its position on series of specific issues, and warns against any roll back in the liberalization of the labor sector over recent years, where reforms were the product of memorandum-mandated actions.
Specifically, SEV set out its positions over what it called the “limited prospect” in setting minimum monthly wages by the government; collective bargaining agreements, and restoration of obligatory arbitration, as the leftist government has favored.
SEV criticized what it called “…efforts by certain circles for a return to the pre-2009 period in labor regulations … and the particularly clientelism between political parties and trade unions, which was built up, little by little, over an entire generation and resulted in the exaggerated closed shop protection of the labor market, something that impeded growth and employment.”
