Statutory schemes of social security (Directive 79/7)

• Author: Panagiota Petroglou
• Pages: 103-105

103

7Statutory schemes of social security (Directive 79/7)

7.1General (legal) context

7.1.1Surveys and reports on the practical difficulties linked to statutory schemes of social

security (Directive 79/7)

To the authorΣs knowledge there have been no surveys and reports published in Greece

over the last five years that provide insights into the difficulties that workers face in

practice in relation to social security schemes.

7.1.2Other relevant issues

There are no other relevant issues.

7.1.3Overview of national acts

See under 1.2 above.

7.1.4Political and societal debate and pending legislative proposals

There has been no political and/or societal debate and there are no pending legislative

proposals on this topic.

7.2Implementation of the principle of equal treatment for men and women in

matters of social security

The principle of equal treatment for men andwomen in matters of social security is

implemented in national legislation in Article Single of Presidential Decree 1362/1981

implementing Directive 79/7/EEC. This is the only measure aimed at implementing

Directive 79/7/EEC. The Decree replaced Article 33(1) of Act 1846/1951 (OJ A

179/21.6.1951) on the Organisation of Social Security (IKA), which operated the main

scheme for subordinate workers under a private-law contract. It abolished the distinction

between husbands and wives and fathers and mothers regarding pensions and medical

care, which was to the detriment of women.

7.3Personal scope

The scope of Decree 1362/1981 is limited to the IKA scheme (7.2 above), which is

statutory, as it covers workers employed by different employers. There are other schemes

which must also be considered to be statutory, e.g. the scheme operated by the

Organisation for Agricultural Social Security (OGA),416which covers farmers who are not

salaried workers; the scheme operated by the εerchant SeamenΣs Fund (NAT),417 which

covers workers in maritime employment; and the scheme operated by the Agency of

Manpower Employment (OAED),418which provides workers under a private-law contract

with protection against unemployment, including unemployment allowances, assistance to

job seekers and other allowances, such as maternity allowance. Since 1 January 2017 all

the main existing social security schemes (IKA-ETAM, ETAP-MME, ETAA, OGA, NAT,

TAYTEKO, ETAT), together with State pensions, have been merged into one single scheme

416 Act 4169/1961, OJ A 81/1961; Act 2458/1997, OJ A 15/14.2.1997.

417 Presidential Decree 913/1978, OJ A 220/14.12.1978; Act 1085/1980, OJ A 255/6.11.1980.

418 Act 2961/1954, OJ A 197/1954; Act 1545/1985, OJ A 91/20.5.1985.