Equal Treatment at work

Summary:

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At European and international level, the institutional framework of the principle of equal treatment and non-discrimination is highlighted BOTH in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, the European Social Charter and in UN texts and conventions of the International Labour Organization.

Up to 2000, EU anti-discrimination legislation was applied only in the area of employment and social security, and covered only discrimination on the grounds of gender.

Two directives were adopted in 2000:

• the Employment Equality Directive, which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, religious beliefs, age and disability in employment (78/2000/EC) and

• the Race Equality Directive, which prohibited discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin in employment , the welfare system and social security access as well as in access to goods and services (43/2000/EC).

The above directives were transposed into Greek law by Law 3305/2005. The above law was replaced by Law 4443/2016 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 232), which improved and strengthened the legislative framework for the implementation of equal treatment and non-discrimination at work and in employment in general.

Law 4443/2016 (Government Gazette, Series I, No 232) prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, color, national or ethnic origin, genealogical descent, religion or other belief, disability or chronic condition, age, social status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender characteristics in the field of work and employment.

This prohibition applies to all persons, in the public and private sector, and covers:

(a) the terms of access to work and employment, including selection criteria and recruitment terms, and the terms of official and professional advancement;

(b) access to all types and to all levels of vocational guidance, apprenticeship, vocational training, retraining and vocational reorientation, including acquisition of practical work experience;

(c) the terms and conditions of work and employment, in particular as regards remuneration, dismissal, health and safety at work and in the event of unemployment, rehabilitation and re-employment;

(d) membership status, and participation in a trade union of workers or employers or in any professional organisation, including the advantages and obligations arising from participation in them, and in particular the right to vote and to stand as a candidate.

In addition, discrimination on the grounds of race, color, national or ethnic origin, genealogical descent, in both the public and private sectors, is prohibited in respect of:

 

• social protection, including social security and healthcare;

• social benefits and tax concessions or advantages;

• education;

• access to the supply and provision of goods and services made available to the public, including housing.