Institutionalisation of Social Forces

10 Institutionalisation of Social Forces 10.1 Dispute Settlement Abstract. The settlement of disputes in modern Greek society, which only recently began to include institutionalised mediation processes, is a controversial issue. The evolution of collective agreements and arbitration in union disputes resulted in the institutionalisation of mediation procedures in the early 1990s. In the first half of the 1980s, changes in family law led to a simplification of the divorce procedure. The proportion of out-of-court settlements has always been relatively low. Collective agreements and arbitration have changed over the period. The institutional evolution of labour unions was not continuous from the 1960s to the 1990s (see also trend 10.2). Negotiations between union representatives and the state were characterized by state corporatism and reduced mobilization and activation of civil mechanisms (see also trends 7.2 and 9.1). Law 3239/1955 governed collective agreements until the end of the 1980s. This law introduced and institutionalised compulsory arbitration conducted by the Greek state (Kravaritou-Manitaki, 1986; Mavrogordatos, 1988; Petrinioti, 1993). However, Law 1876/1990 introduced unilateral appeal to arbitration (Kazakos, 1997). Despite the controversy in the late 1990s over the constitutionality of compulsory arbitration (Koukiadis, 1998), it may be argued that arbitration has been predominantly discretionary and voluntary. Moreover, the 1990 law created OMED (Jury of Mediators and Arbitrators), which began operating in 1992. A first assessment of OMED s operations concluded that it made a positive contribution in the majority of cases by closing them at mediation level, while in the past most cases had been sent to the arbitration courts (Ioannou, 1996). Irrespective of the type of collective agreement, the emphasis has changed from 1961 to 1995. For example, until the mid-1980s the role of compulsory arbitration expanded; after 1991, however, it subsided (see table 1). It should be noted that up

2 Institutionalisation of Social Forces until 1990 arbitration was compulsory and the role of the state increased in importance. Moreover, once OMED started operating, the majority of the cases sent to it were for mediation, and only a small minority were for arbitration (see table 2). In the 1990s, Greek labour relations entered a phase of rationalization and modernization (Kasimati, 1997). The number of divorces by mutual consent increased. The socio-political and institutional reforms that took place in Greece in the 1980s had an impact in the 1990s. The new family law enacted in 1984 had a significant effect on women s rights. Although changes concerning women s rights have been slow and gradual (Polis, 1992), they have had significant implications for a number of institutions. In the case of the dissolution of marriages, the new family law resulted in a virtual overthrow of the pre-existing system of divorces. In 1984, when the new family law was adopted, 58% of marriages were dissolved by mutual consent; within a decade, the proportion of divorces by mutual consent rose to 74% (see table 3). Thus, there have been significant changes in dispute settlement at the family level, supported by a number of reforms regarding the social and economic position of women in modern Greek society. The proportion of out-of-court settlements remained low. The proportion of out-ofcourt settlements was low in Greece throughout the period 1971 95. In the lower civil courts, however, this proportion actually doubled over the period, while in courts of appeal it increased significantly (see table 4). Moreover, it should be noted that the total number of cases in lower civil courts increased slightly over the period, while the total number of cases in the courts of appeal doubled. The legal system in Greece may not leave much room for out-of-court settlements, but a significant and increasing number of cases are postponed. Finally, it may be argued that the logic of free-riding that predominates in Greek society and reflects the existence of a situation of anomie has implied the operation of extra-institutional forms of negotiation and dispute settlement (Olson, 1965; Tsoukalas, 1993). Free-riding may have affected a number of normative and legal actions, possibly leading to an increase in and frequency of trial postponements, a rise in the number of appeals, and the multiplication of lawsuits. In fact, there is limited role for institutional negotiation targeting of dispute settlement in the legal system. Apostolos G. Papadopoulos

10.1 Dispute Settlement 3 R E F E R E N C E S Ioannou, C.A. 1996 Characteristics and trends in first cases of collective labour agreements managed by OMED, Review of Industrial Relations, 2: 60 80. («Χαρακτηριστικά και τάσεις των πρώτων υποθέσεων ΣΣΕ που χειρίσθηκε ο ΟΜΕΔ», Επιθεώρηση Εργασιακών Σχέσεων, τ. 2: 60 80). Kasimati, K. (ed.) 1997 The Greek union movement in the late twentieth century. Athens: Gutenberg. (Το ελληνικό συνδικαλιστικό κίνημα στο τέλος του 20ού αιώνα. Αθήνα: Gutenberg). Kazakos, E.G. 1997 Compulsory arbitration and collective autonomy, Review of Labour Law, 56(14/15): 626 658. («Υποχρεωτική διαιτησία και συλλογική αυτονομία», Επιθεώρησις Εργατικού Δικαίου, τ. 56(14/15), 626 658). Koukiadis, I.D. 1998 Questioning the constitutionality of the arbitration system, Review of Labour Law, 57(12): 529 38. («Η αμφισβήτηση της συνταγματικότητας του συστήματος διαιτησίας Ν.1876/90», Επιθεώρησις Εργατικού Δικαίου, τ. 57(12): 529 538). Kravaritou-Manitaki, G. 1986 Industrial relations in Greece. In Greece in evolution, pp. 287 306. Athens: Exandas. («Εργασιακές σχέσεις στην Ελλάδα», στο Η Ελλάδα σε εξέλιξη. Αθήνα: Εξάντας). Mavrogordatos, G. 1988 Between Pityokamptis and Prokroustis: Occupational organizations in Greece. Athens: Odysseas. (Μεταξύ Πιτυοκάμπτη και Προκρούστη: οι επαγγελματικές οργανώσεις στην Ελλάδα. Αθήνα: Οδυσσέας). National Statistical Service of Greece (NSSG) 1986 97a Statistical yearbook of Greece. 1986 97b Statistics of Justice. Olson, M. 1965 The logic of collective action: Public goods and theory of groups. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Petrinioti, X. 1993 State, industrial relations and social policy: Seeking a new balance. In P. Getimis and D.N. Gravaris (eds.), Welfare state and social policy: The modern problem, pp. 147 70. Athens: Themelio. («Κράτος, εργασιακές σχέσεις και κοινωνική πολιτική: σε αναζήτηση μιας νέας ισορροπίας». Στο Π. Γετίμης και Δ. Γράβαρης (επιμ.), Κοινωνικό κράτος και κοινωνική πολιτική: η σύγχρονη προβληματική. Αθήνα: Θεμέλιο).

4 Institutionalisation of Social Forces Polis, A. 1992 Gender and social change in Greece: The role of women. In T.C. Kariotis, (ed.), The Greek socialist experiment: Papandreou s Greece 1981 1989. New York: Pella. Politis, D. 1998 Collective bargaining and Law 1876/90. Industrial relations and labour unions. Conclusions and Prospects, Review of Industrial Relations, 9: 5 27. («Οι συλλογικές διαπραγματεύσεις και ο Νόμος 1876/90. Οι Εργασιακές Σχέσεις και τα Συνδικάτα. Συμπεράσματα και Προοπτικές», Επιθεώρηση Εργασιακών Σχέσεων, τ. 9, 5 27). Tsoukalas, K. 1993 Free Riders in the country of wonders: About Greeks and Greece. Greek Political Science Review, 1: 9 52. («Τζαμπατζήδες στη χώρα των θαυμάτων. Περί Ελλήνων και Ελλάδας», Ελληνική Επιθεώρηση Πολιτικής Επιστήμης, τ. 1, 9 52).

10.1 Dispute Settlement 5 T A B L E S Table 1 Distribution of collective agreements and arbitration, 1961 97 Year Collective agreements Arbitration Total N % N % N 1961 63 47.7 69 52.3 132 1962 70 51.5 66 48.5 136 1963 61 44.9 75 55.1 136 1964 77 45.3 93 54.7 170 1965 121 56.5 93 43.5 214 1966 105 52.2 96 47.8 201 1967 63 44.7 78 55.3 141 1968 63 40.9 91 59.1 154 1969 50 38.2 81 61.8 131 1970 53 48.2 57 51.8 110 1971 46 43.4 60 56.6 106 1972 88 66.2 45 33.8 133 1973 158 73.1 58 26.9 216 1974 70 45.2 85 54.8 155 1975 131 47.8 143 52.2 274 1976 144 54.5 120 45.5 264 1977 146 44.8 180 55.2 326 1978 166 43.8 213 56.2 379 1979 173 41.2 247 58.8 420 1980 221 42.5 299 57.5 520 1981 233 41.4 330 58.6 563 1982 300 56.4 232 43.6 532 1983 57 41.6 80 58.4 137 1984 252 48.8 264 51.2 516 1985 275 62.2 167 37.8 442 1986 44 34.9 82 65.1 126 1987 76 47.5 84 52.5 160 1988 210 74.2 73 25.8 283 1989 276 71.3 111 28.7 387 1990 185 64.5 102 35.5 287 1991 287 76.7 87 23.3 374 1992 171 84.2 32 15.8 203 1993 280 90.3 30 9.7 310 1994 287 88.6 37 11.4 324 1995 239 87.9 33 12.1 272 1996 385 90.0 43 10.0 428 1997 281 84.4 52 15.6 333 Source: Politis, 1998, pp. 14 15. Table 2

6 Institutionalisation of Social Forces Distribution of applications to OMED for mediation and arbitration, 1992 97 Year Applications for mediation Applications for arbitration Total N % N % N 1992 99 71.2 40 28.8 139 1993 128 72.7 48 27.3 176 1994 115 73.2 42 26.8 157 1995 121 71.6 48 28.4 169 1996 125 67.9 59 32.1 184 1997 133 64.3 74 35.7 207 Total (N) 721 311 1,032 Average (%) 69.9 30.1 Source: Politis, 1998, p. 12. Table 3 Distribution of divorces by mutual consent, 1984 95 Year Divorces N Mutual consent N % by mutual consent 1984 8,672 5,104 58.9 1985 7,568 4,594 60.7 1986 8,939 6,195 69.3 1987 8,830 5,737 65.0 1988 8,335 6,013 72.1 1989 6,360 4,313 67.8 1990 8,672 5,104 58.9 1991 6,351 4,578 72.1 1992 6,156 4,768 77.5 1993 7,725 6,283 81.3 1994 7,675 6,230 81.2 1995 10,995 8,077 73.5 Source: NSSG, Statistical Yearbook of Greece 1986 97a.

10.1 Dispute Settlement 7 Table 4 Distribution of decisions issued by the Greek courts and the proportion of out-of-court settlements, 1971 95 Year Number of decisions issued Lower civil courts Of which settled before going to court (%) Number of decisions issued Courts of appeal Of which settled before going to court (%) 1971 56,129 6.3 8,564 6.3 1972 54,814 7.0 8,516 8.6 1973 56,340 6.7 8,078 7.8 1974 57,839 4.2 8,775 9.9 1975 61,046 4.1 8,770 8.7 1976 46,302 8.7 8,093 7.0 1977 42,059 10.0 6,625 9.9 1978 46,495 14.1 6,928 14.3 1979 43,171 14.8 9,111 14.8 1980 41,050 12.9 9,481 12.8 1981 40,767 11.5 9,637 7.9 1982 47,384 10.7 9,157 9.2 1983 44,390 11.9 8,484 10.5 1984 48,563 12.1 9,185 9.5 1985 42,680 13.8 8,161 11.7 1986 55,952 13.2 11,856 9.4 1987 72,411 13.0 13,267 11.8 1988 70,285 12.2 12,717 9.4 1989 66,212 12.6 11,844 10.4 1990 62,260 11.1 11,303 10.0 1991 52,268 11.3 13,057 9.0 1992 52,057 10.1 10,816 7.8 1993 40,933 11.3 11,367 9.1 1994 42,506 13.2 11,159 9.2 1995 61,224 13.9 17,438 8.8 Source: NSSG, Statistical Yearbook of Greece 1986 97b.