- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2020
Support to the operational modernisation of the Labour Inspectorate and the Mediation and Arbitration Service (OMED) in Greece
Through this project, the European Commission has invested in upskilling mediation and arbitration professionals in Greece, through a series of targeted training programmes on labour dispute prevention and resolution. Thus, within the context of the European Year of Skills, the project helped promote and implement EU policy objectives in the area of skills and to foster a culture of continuous professional development among OMED mediators and arbitrators in Greece. Additionally, the project supported the strengthening of the operational capacity of the Labour Inspectorate of Greece with the aim to better establish its operational, administrative and financial independence.
Context
In June 2021, Greece passed a new labour law (no. 4808/2021) that brought major changes to the labour dispute resolution system and to the labour inspection services of the country. On the one hand, the competences of OMED were revised in the areas of mediation and conciliation to cover new types of labour disputes, and for this reason additional mediators and arbitrators were hired. On the other hand, the Labour Inspectorate was restructured into an independent authority, with operational, administrative and financial independence. Both changes required several operational adjustments for the implementation of the amended legislative framework.
Support delivered
With respect to OMED, the International Labour Organization (ILO) together with its International Training Centre in Turin, organised a three-tier training programme on labour dispute prevention and resolution, based on a preliminary training needs assessment (TNA). The TNA analysed the training needs of OMED mediators and arbitrators and determined the features of a comprehensive training programme and its curriculum, based on good comparative practices and adapted to the Greek national context.
With respect to the Labour Inspectorate, the ILO with the support of an international consultant performed an assessment of the organisation’s structure and procedures. This assessment integrated information obtained through a desk review as well from interviews on the current organisation, structures, available resources (human, financial, and material) and cooperation practices both at central and regional level of the Labour Inspectorate. The assessment resulted in a list of recommendations regarding the operational structure, staff and resources of the Labour Inspectorate.
Results achieved
OMED mediators and arbitrators were given the opportunity to participate in a three-tier training programme on labour dispute prevention and resolution, during which they were also able to hear directly from international experts including from Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Portugal, and the United States. Through these trainings, arbitrators and mediators in Greece were given the tools, strategies, and methods to become better dealmakers and consensus builders. In the long run, this is expected to build a strengthened system of dispute prevention and resolution in Greece, which will, in turn, play an important role in ensuring sound labour relations in the workplace, also in line with the EU’s priorities in the area of social justice.
Meanwhile, the recommendations included in the assessment report of the Hellenic Labour Inspectorate, will support the Greek authorities with making its operational structure and functioning more efficient, and ensuring a more consistent application of labour inspection services across the country.