Brussels, 15/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 15 November, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) said that the Greek government and the troika of lenders (the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the IMF) have not fully respected basic social rights, having flouted social dialogue and free and voluntary collective bargaining several times in the talks on financial bailout packages for Greece, despite the fact that such rights are a crucial foundation of democracy and social peace.
Following a complaint lodged with the ILO by the main public and private sector trade unions in Greece, the ILO's trade union freedom committee has published details of its investigation, revealing that a number of austerity measures taken in Greece over the past two years as part of the international aid mechanism agreed with the troika have been accompanied by a number of repeated and serious intrusions in free and voluntary negotiation mechanisms. The investigation also revealed a serious lack of social dialogue. Although the committee noted the serious and exceptional nature of the situation in Greece, it called on the social partners, with the aid of the ILO, to be fully involved in all future decisions involving the troika of lenders that would affect the freedom of association and collective bargaining, it explains in a press release.
In October, the Council of Europe said that several Greek reforms introduced in 2010 for apprenticeships and the minimum wage for under-25-year-olds were illegal. (JK/transl.fl)