for another 26,253 employees who saw their
work contracts being turned from full- to part-
time (18,713 or 53.15% more than 2009) and
short-work contracts (6,527 or 57.43% more
than in 2009). Moreover, the short-work regime
was imposed on another 1,013 workers
(+65.52% as compared to 2009).
As expected, the economic crisis did not only lead
to the proliferation of flexible forms of employ-
ment, but also increased industrial disputes.
According to official comparative data, the Labour
Inspectorate was called to resolve 20,743 dis-
putes (increased by 22.84% as compared to
2008, before the crisis broke out). In 2010 the
Inspectorate levied fines of €13.2 million (as com-
pared to €10.9 million in 2009 and €9.7 million in
2008) and, despite the reduced number of labour
inspectors, performed 30,936 on-site inspections
(increased by 8.85% as compared to 2009).
Under these circumstances, the Ministry of
Labour is prepared to present a new labour law
by July; this law will settle issues such as the
implementation of flexible 10-hour working days,
the reduction of overtime costs, the extension of
temporary employment contracts, the termination
of contracts without compensation, as well as the
facilitation of individual employment contracts.
Businesses will be given more room for hiring
temporary employees without incurring any obli-
gation toward them, while working hour arrange-
Trade with Greece
79
ments will serve the businesses’ best interests. In
order to reduce labour costs, the Ministry aims at
introducing, as soon as possible, all flexibility-
inducing instruments to the labour market. The
initial results may hopefully appear in the compa-
nies’ financial accounts, persuading lenders that
the cost of labour in the private sector is, indeed,
being contained, without imposing solutions such
as the non-payment of the 13th and/or 14th
salary, which, despite emphatic assurances to the
contrary, has not been ruled out yet.
To this end, the government intends to amend the
duration of consecutive temporary employment
contracts. Currently, following 3 consecutive con-
tracts or total work of 24 months with intervals of
less than 45 days and provided that the workers
fulfil permanent requirements of the busi-
ness, the contracts become per-
manent. The pres-
sures
are
severe
and, according to certain scenarios, the lenders
even asked the leadership of the Ministry of
Labour to abolish all time constraints in regard to
work contracts. The Ministry claims that these
constraints will not be abolished; however, the 24-
month period will change, while the duration of
the contracts will be extended, even to 3 years.
Another issue at hand is how employers will be
able to terminate contracts prior to expiry without
being liable to compensate (i.e. pay the salaries
corresponding to the period that remains until the
contract expires).
Changes are also expected in the procedure for
determining working hour arrangements, an
instrument that, till recently, was shunned even by
employers. The aim is to facilitate the implemen-
tation of this procedure, enabling employers to
