Labour inclusion in Greece

Overview

The current legal framework that regulates integration of TCNs is established by the Migration and Social Integration Code Law 4251/2014. The Code settled a series of migrants’ rights based on the principle of non-discrimination and equal treatment with Greek nationals. Local government structures were further re-organised in 2010 with the Kallikratis Programme. Thus, the new Decentralised Administration Authorities became pertinent to implement an important part of the integration policy. Furthermore, the integration of immigrants and refugees as a matter that interests local societies became more apparent and several institutions were set up to work on it in several Greek regions. The Migrant Integration Councils (MICs) were created with the Law 3852/2010 as consultative bodies in the Greek municipalities in order to support local authorities with acquiring knowledge on problems encountered by the immigrant population legally residing in their municipality in relation to their integration pathways and their contact with public or municipal authorities.  

Community Centres are another relatively recent structure under the umbrella of the Directorate of Social Solidarity and Health, supervised by different departments within the directorate. They serve all residents of the municipality (nationals, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers) and function as hubs for social welfare services, health clinics and employability services. Additionally, several institutions were initiated towards the same direction. The Athens Coordination Center for Migrant and Refugee issues – ACCMR was established in June 2017, it counts 90 members and became the liaison among several institutions and the Municipality of Athens in order to promote the integration of immigrants and refugees at the local level, to ensure social cohesion and to prevent future crises.

Since 2009 Greece entered a severe financial crisis which led to the completion of three economic adjustment programs with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund, to the adoption of a series of austerity measures reforming the public sector, pensions, taxes and the labour market. Unemployment rose significantly and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell steadily in the years following the crisis.

In order to gain access to the labour market, one (including asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection) must obtain a Tax Registration Number (AFM) and a Social Security Number (AMKA). A Tax Registration Number (AFM) can be issued by the competent Tax Office (as per the person’s residence) upon presentation of the asylum seeker card or residence permit and proof of residence. Several challenges and delays were noticed in the issuance of a Tax Registration Number for both asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, mostly related to identification and proof of residence. The issuance of the Social Security Number (AMKA) has also been quite challenging. 

Until July 2019, the legal framework regulating the procedure and necessary documentation for the granting of AMKA was not providing any clarification on granting AMKA to asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection. As a result of this gap, the competent authorities for the granting of AMKA (Citizens’ Service Centres and AMKA Offices of the Agency for Social Security) were interpreting and responding differently the law, and there have been numerous reports of denial of granting the certificate or significant delays. That led to a non-homogenous practice regarding the issuance of AMKA. The situation was ameliorated with the Ministerial Circular 31547/9662/2018 which provided clarifications for the granting of AMKA and facilitated the procedure for both asylum seekers and refugees. With the L4686/2020 asylum seekers were entitled to get the Temporary Number for Insurance and Healthcare for Foreigners (PAAYPA), but significant delays in the document provision were often encountered. The Asylum Service became the pertinent authority to issue the PAAYPA, and the implementation of this procedure coincided with the national lockdown imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Another challenge encountered by TCNs is that the competent authorities often request documents that cannot be provided by a refugee. For example, it was reported that in some cases EFKA – Agency for Social Security – has been requesting a Certificate of Family Status from a beneficiary of International Protection in order to proceed with the issuance of Insurance Registry Number (AMA) necessary for getting directly insured under Social Security Foundation (IKA).  

Addition challenges encountered by TCNs are:

• language barriers: challenges in identifying employment opportunities for TCNs with basic command of the language, and, when employed, poor understanding of the content of their contracts, thus not fully aware of rights and obligations in their employment;
• lack of accommodative framework for the accreditation for skills and competences, resulting in TCNs occupying low paid jobs or/and very different from the ones they have experience in; 
• employers are not aware of the regulatory framework regarding the right to work and of specific legal categories of TCNs, such as asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, also in regard to the validity of the certifications that the latter holds;   
• streamlining of processes and dissemination of relevant information are not ensured in a crosscutting fashion among services, thus leading to de facto limitations in the exercise of specific rights, such as entitlement to participation in State programs for the promotion of employment; 
• the delays in the examination of a claim for international protection leads to long duration of detachment from the labour market, hence hindering the possibilities of this population group to return to employment, while in addition the individuals potentially lose motivation and forget previously acquired skills; 
• women from countries where cultural norms hinder female participation in the labour market are less likely to be integrated in the labour market of the hosting country. 

Covid-19

A detailed operation plan was designed by the General Secretariat for the Reception of Asylum Seekers as a general national plan, which provides guidelines to the Reception and Identification Centers (RICs) for TCNs and to the Administrators of the Long Term Accommodation Centers. Accommodation facilities on the mainland in which Covid-19 cases were identified, were put in quarantine for 14 days and all residents, i.e. Covid-19 cases and residents which have not been identified as such, were not allowed to exit the facility. According to Agnodiki plan for managing an outbreak in any of the above-mentioned accommodation centers, the latter should be quarantined and all cases (confirmed and suspected) are isolated and treated in situ. In similar cases of outbreaks in enclosed population groups (such as nursing homes or private haemodialysis centres) vulnerable individuals were immediately moved from the site to safe accommodation, while all confirmed and suspected cases were isolated off-site in a separate facility.