The National Social Agreement on collective bargaining agreements as an example of successful social dialogue at the European level was highlighted by the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameos, while speaking at an event in Brussels on the topic “Greece’s National Social Agreement: A European Model for Social Dialogue.”
The minister emphasized that Greece has made significant progress in the labor market over the past seven years, with unemployment falling by approximately 10 percentage points, wages and the number of full-time contracts, as well as the return of more than 470,000 Greeks who had emigrated during the economic crisis. However, as he pointed out, “there was one area where Greece, objectively speaking, had plenty of room for improvement, and that was the percentage of workers covered by collective bargaining agreements”.
Referring to the European directive on the minimum wage, Ms. Kerameos noted that it sent “a very clear message to the member states” regarding the strengthening of protections for workers through collective bargaining.
The minister described two alternative approaches available to the Greek government: legislative action through Parliament and reaching an agreement through consultation with social partners. As she noted, she chose the second and more difficult path, although, when asked about the chances of success of the effort, she replied that “if we think about this from a rational perspective, almost none.”
“I had the feeling that there was a dynamic here. That there was a level of trust that had been built up and was worth the time and effort to at least give it a try,” she emphasized.
According to the minister, consultations with social partners lasted more than seven months and were conducted under conditions of absolute confidentiality, in order to ensure the candor of the discussions and the possibility of substantive compromises.
N. Kerameos attributed the reaching of the agreement to three key factors: the trust that developed among the parties involved, the willingness of all to find common ground through mutual concessions, and the process of jointly shaping the framework from the outset, without a predetermined text.
As he explained, the Greek National Social Agreement reached in November 2025 facilitates the conclusion and extension of collective bargaining agreements, while at the same time strengthening the protection of workers after the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement.
The minister stated that the first results are already visible, since, just a few months after the agreement was ratified by Parliament in February, “more than 15% of workers in Greece” have gained coverage through collective bargaining agreements.
Concluding her remarks, Ms. Kerameos emphasized that the Greek experience demonstrates that meaningful social dialogue can lead to broad consensus and tangible results that benefit both workers and the labor market.
For her part, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Roxana Minzatu, responsible for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs, and Resilience, stated that the Greek agreement serves as an example for all of Europe. She even described the agreement as “a moment of rebuilding trust and the social fabric,” while noting that this came from a country without a strong tradition of social dialogue, where collective bargaining coverage stood at approximately 13% prior to the agreement.
European Commission Vice-President Roxana Minzatu, linked the Greek experience to the Adequate Minimum Wages Directive and the European Pact for Social Dialogue, while announcing the new Quality Jobs Act. As he noted, the initiative will focus, among other things, on artificial intelligence and subcontracting chains, with the aim of addressing precarious labor practices. Finally, he emphasized the crucial role of social partners in building trust for the safe and fair use of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
