To balance women's participation in the labour market vis-à-vis men's participation and to reduce women's unemployment.
3.6.1.2. Legal basis
- Law 1424/84 on the ratification of International Convention 111/58.
- Law 1423/84 on the ratification of International Convention 122/67.
- Law 1483/84 on the protection of workers with family obligations.
- Law 1414/84 on the equality of the sexes.
- Law 1302/82 on the ratification of International Convention 103/52 ("Maternity protection").
- Law 1983/84 on protection of and support for workers with family obligations. This law includes the following stipulations:
a) Parental leave is granted for a maximum of 3.5 months and may be taken any time before the child reaches 3.5 years of age.
There is no entitlement to wages or salary during parental leave. The regulation applies to both parents in both the public and private sector, provided the claimant has been employed for at least one year with the same employer.
b) Leave to care for an ill dependant. There is no entitlement to wages or salary. This leave is granted for six days for one dependant, for eight days for two dependants and for ten days for more than two dependants for the parent in full-time employment.
- Reduced working time for parents with mentally, psychologically or physically disabled children with a corresponding reduction in wages or salary in the private sector and without a wage or salary reduction in the public sector, and for employees of legal entities governed by public law and of local administrations.
- Leave for dealing with matters relating to children's schooling and for acquiring information about children's performance at school for parents employed full time in the private sector and for employees in the public sector. This leave amounts to a maximum of four days per calendar year for both parents. Claimants are entitled to their wage or salary.
- Prohibition of dismissal both during pregnancy and for one year after childbirth or during the employee's absence for a longer period if this is due to an illness caused by pregnancy or childbirth.
- Law 2676/99 on equality of the sexes in the occupational systems of the social security sector.
- Presidential Decree 193/88 on extending the stipulations contained in Law 1483/84 to the public sector, to legal entities governed by public law and to local administrative bodies.
- Presidential Decree 176/97 on measures to improve protection of safety and health at the workplace for pregnant women, women who have recently given birth and nursing mothers in implementation of EEC Directive 92/85.
- Article 9 of the 1993 National Framework Agreement stipulates the right to working-time reduction for nursing and childcare. From the date of childbirth, working time may be reduced by one hour for two years or by two hours for one year. If the mother does not avail of this reduction, the father of the child may do so instead.
3.6.1.3. Contents
The programme includes measures for vocational guidance and training specially designed to be effective for specific women's target groups and to secure the entry of these groups into the labour market.
Such target groups are:
- women who wish to re-enter the labour market;
- young women who wish to enter the labour market for the first time;
- unmarried mothers;
- women residing in densely populated areas.
In addition, the programme seeks to adapt women to future vocations arising by virtue of new technologies and thus to overcome the barriers which women's stereotyping has set up in order to confine women to a small segment of the labour market.
Women are granted a higher allowance in all job-creation programmes and all schemes to support new entrepreneurs in order to achieve better integration of women in the labour market.
3.6.1.4. Institutional support
General Secretariat of Equal Opportunities, OAED, EOMMEX, research centres, universities and non-profit organisations.
EU – European Commission DG EMPL/A/2 J
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