Number of staff allowed to strike curbed
Strikes cannot be declared at public companies and utilities without a designated security personnel and where required, a so-called “minimum guaranteed service personnel,” that will ensure that one-third of normal services are provided, according to a circular issued by the Labor Ministry in line with a recently passed labor law.
The circular contains clarifications governing strikes in the private and public sectors and carries special significance given the pending mobilizations by trade unions in response to the government’s plans regarding compulsory vaccination in certain fields.
At the same time, Labor Minister Kostis Hatzidakis has also signed the first ministerial decision for the creation of registers of trade unions of employees and employers.
The decision stipulates that if an association or organization is not listed in these registers, then it does not have the right to participate in the process of signing a collective agreement.
Apart from the provisions for minimum guaranteed personnel during strikes at utility companies, the circular also prohibits strikes declared illegal by the courts.
In addition, it designates civil liability of trade unionists who physically or psychologically abuse those who wish to work.
If this is established then the strike will be stopped by a decision of a single-member court of first instance.
The security personnel and the minimum guaranteed service personnel must be recorded in writing in the notification served by a bailiff to the employer, four days before the start of the strike.
The notification must also include the names of the employees who will provide their services as security personnel and, if required, as minimum guaranteed service personnel.
