Greece: Organisation

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The Greek Constitution of 1975, revised in 1986, established the principle of the "Social State" by means of provisions guaranteeing to a large extent social protection. In particular, Article 224 concerning social security stipulates the obligation of the State to provide social security for workers.

In Greece the prerequisite for being directly covered by social security is to be working. The affiliation to a scheme depends on the nature and the type of work performed.

The social security system in Greece is based on two pillars: the basic protection and the supplementary protection (called "auxiliary" in Greece). It comprises a great number of insurance funds and a large variety of schemes.

· The main insurance institution is the Institute for Social Insurance (IKA) of which the greater majority of salaried workers and other categories of assimilated employees are members. The IKA scheme is the "general Greek scheme for the insurance of salaried workers". Apart from the IKA scheme there are special schemes for salaried workers, (occupational funds) to which certain categories coming from the civilian population are affiliated, e.g. the insurance fund for employees of the public electricity company.

· Farmers are members of the insurance scheme for agricultural employees (OGA - Agricultural Insurance Organisation).

· As regards the social security of self-employed persons, there are special schemes for persons belonging to certain socio-professional categories (e.g. lawyers, the medical professions, persons engaged in a business, craftsmen, civil engineers, etc.).
Each insurance institution is subject to a different legislation. In some cases the benefits, the conditions for granting these benefits and the corresponding formalities differ from one institution to the other.

The IKA scheme covers the risks of sickness, maternity, old-age, invalidity and death.

The OAED (Office for Employment) is a special institution in charge of the risk of unemployment; it is also in charge of family benefits; however, it is the IKA which collects the contributions for the OAED.

All social security institutions are under the authority and supervision of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Social Security. The OAED is under the authority and supervision of the Ministry of Labour.

Finally, there are a small number of social security institutions which are subordinate to and supervised by other ministries.

The public authorities intervene against possible fraud in order to preserve the general interest and see to the correct application of legislation and provisions by the social security organisations (Insurance Funds).

These institutions are administered by the administrative boards in which the representatives of the insured, the pensioners, the employers and the State participate.

Adresses:

MINISTRY OF LABOUR
AND SOCIAL SECURITY
General Secretariat for Social Security
Directorate for International Relations
Stadiou Street 29
EL-10110 Athens

MINISTRY OF LABOUR
AND SOCIAL SECURITY
Directorate Initiatives
Section E.U.
Pireos Street 40
EL-10182 Athens C.P.

INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL
INSURANCES (I.K.A.)
Directorate for International Relations
Kifissias Street 178-Chalandri
EL-15231 Athens C.P.

ORGANISATION FOR AGRICULTURAL
INSURANCES (O.G.A.)
International Relations
Patission Street 30
EL-10170 Athens C.P.

OFFICE FOR EMPLOYMENT (O.A.E.D.)
Directorate Insurance
Ethnikis Antistassis Street 8
EL-17342 Ano Kalamaki C.P.