Decentralisation and flexibility in Greek industrial relations

Labour flexibility is a central theme of management’s rhetoric in Greece. At the same time the securing of greater flexibility has been identified by policy makers as a central component of industrial relations reform. In spite of this endowing of flexibility with major significance there is a marked absence of empirical data indicating the growth of flexibility at the Greek workplace. This paper entails an examination of the extent to which private companies in Greece have adopted crucial aspects of flexibility such as decentralized bargaining, pay, working time and employee participation. Our research analyzed management data from a survey of 22 manufacturing establishments and compares them with relevant European data. Main findings indicate a considerable gap between rhetoric and flexibility implementation in actual practice.