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Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-02-16Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>CONTENTS
[01] Trade unions to discuss strike actionA meeting on Thursday between Greek employers' and employees' unions over reaching a new general collective labour agreement for 2006 ended in deadlock. Employers' groups, mainly the Federation of Greek Industries (SEB) are offering pay hikes of less than 3.0 percent, based on the average European inflation rate and a part of a productivity growth rate in the country. "Trade unions will not agree on such an offer," General Confederation of Employees of Greece (GSEE) President Christos Polyzogopoulos said.Speaking to reporters after the meeting, he announced a general assembly of GSEE next Tuesday to discuss strike actions for early March, together with the Civil Servants Supreme Administrative Council (ADEDY). Polyzogopoulos said the likelihood of reaching a compromise pay agreement with employers was more distant now. Trade unions see as priority measures to protecting an institutional framework covering collective pay agreements at all levels. ?Any attempt to undermine this framework creates a major issue and it is considered as ?casus belli? by trade unions,? Polyzogopoulos said. GSEE's head urged the prime minister to intervene in protecting the framework of collective pay agreements between workers and employers. SEB president Odysseas Kyriakopoulos said employers considered a national collective labour agreement as a framework that has contributed in establishing work-place peace in the country and reiterated his intention not to question the significance of labour agreements in the future. Kyriakopoulos, however, noted that a minimum wage level was creating problems when rolled over to pay agreements in loss-making sectors. He said the country suffered a competitiveness deficit and said that average minimum wages in Greece, following its entry in EMU, rose by 29.9 pct, compared with a 9.8-percent increase in the Eurozone. ANA-MPA Copyright © 2004-2005 All rights reserved. Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |