M. & P. Bernitsas Law Offices’ Labour department guides local and multinational companies through this highly regulated and continuously developing area of law. A major part of our practice is the provision of ongoing advice to clients on a day to day basis in relation to the full range of employment law issues arising in the course of their business activities. Long running working relationships with most of our clients enable us to understand their aims and concerns and provide in-depth, tailored advice. The department also advises on labour law issues arising in the context of transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, privatisations and corporate restructurings. In addition to individual labour law, we also advise on a full range of collective labour law related matters as well as insurance issues, whether mandatory or otherwise. We have established particularly close working relationships with several international law firms which regularly seek our advice on the Greek law aspects of their transactions.

Practice Focus

Advising on:

• the regulatory and legislative framework governing employment
• drafting and negotiation of employment contracts for all levels of employees as well as adapting our clients’ standard form employment agreements to ensure compliance with mandatory requirements of Greek law
• transferring and terminating existing contracts as well as entering into settlement agreements
• drafting and negotiating the terms of agreed dismissals subject to legal limitations regarding the number of dismissals
• early retirement, insurance and pension funds, pension contributions and eligibility to retire
• labour law issues arising from mergers and acquisitions, privatisations and restructurings, including the legislation dealing with transfers of undertakings and collective dismissals
• contracting out and leasing arrangements as well as the applicability in these situations of regulations on the transfer of undertakings
• the impact on employment relationships of a European company (Societas Europaea (SE)) being established and implementation of the relevant procedures
• the granting of benefits and issues related to their revocability
• the implementation of stock option structures
• collective labour agreements and their impact on individual employment contracts
• employment regulations and the enforceability of company policies
• the validity of codes of conduct governed by foreign law and their compliance with Greek law
• disputes arising from employment contracts, involving both negotiation of settlements and litigation proceedings
• data privacy issues including monitoring employees at work and implementation of whistle-blowing hotlines
• the implications of harassment legislation
• health and safety in the workplace
• immigration issues arising from the employment of managerial staff who are non-EU residents
• drafting forms and templates necessary for the day to day management of internal employment matters
• sector specific impact of collective labour law obligations
• mandatory insurance issues in the context of secondments by employers not situated in Greece
• restructuring of employment relationships through outsourcing or other arrangements

For more information on our Labour practice, please contact Katia Papantonopoulou or Christina Vlachtsis.