Mr. Panagiotou welcomed a meeting of the PL on the harmonization of European labor law in the Cypriot and Greek legal order
The Law School of the University of Nicosia and the Hellenic Society of Labor Law and Social Insurance (EDEKA) organized a topical conference on the harmonization of European labor law in the Cypriot and Greek Legal Order. The conference was held at the premises of the University of Nicosia, on Friday 17 March 2023.
The conference was dedicated to the memory of the former Minister of Labor and Social Insurance of the Republic of Cyprus, Zetas Emilianidou, who, as pointed out by the distinguished speakers , university and social partners, left prematurely, leaving a huge work, but also an unfillable void.
The conference was welcomed in his first important public appearance as a Minister by the new Minister of Labor and Social Insurance, Mr. Yiannis Panagiotou, who emphasized that Mrs. Emilianidou's tenure as Minister was distinguished by the defense of the public interest. Mr. Panagiotou, after congratulating the organizers of the conference, pointed out the need for Cyprus to utilize the European Union's policy on labor matters. He also mentioned the importance of tripartite cooperation between the state, employers and employees in solving these issues.
The Rector of the University of Nicosia, Professor Filippos Pouioutas, welcomed the participants to the conference and emphasized that the human resources of the University will be helpful in the work of the Minister of Labor through the know-how and expertise they have. The Senior Vice-Chancellor Professor Konstantinos N. Fellas delivered a greeting on behalf of the University, emphasizing the invaluable contribution of the late Zeta Emilianidou to labor events, the protection of workers and the maintenance of labor peace. In addition, Professor Fellas indicated that in the context of the path towards European integration, the branch of labor law emerged and continues to evolve as a matter of major importance. He also reminded that this Law is of particular importance, as what is at stake is the protection of workers.
The President of EDEKA, Professor Emeritus Konstantinos Papadimitriou, referred to the special honor for the Society to participate for the first time in a scientific event in Cyprus and expressed the readiness of the two countries for increased cooperation in labor matters. The event was also welcomed by representatives of social partners, namely Mr. Michalis Antoniou, Director General of OEB, Mr. Andreas Matsas, Secretary General of SEK, and Ms. Sotiroula Charalambous, Secretary General of PEO, who congratulated the organizers for the initiative of the conference and highlighted Zeta Emilianidou's contribution to the regulation of labor relations and issues during her long and fruitful tenure. They also referred to the contribution of the social partners in the process of harmonization, implementation, and continuous reform of labor law. Finally, a greeting was delivered on behalf of the Nicosia Bar Association by the Vice-President, Mr. Nikolas Koursaris.
The introductory speech on “European labor law” was given by Professor Emeritus AUTH Ioannis Koukiadis, who focused on the need to properly utilize new technologies at work and spoke about the evolution of European labor law. Lawyer Mr. Polis Polyviou in his own speech emphasized that society can change, but what should remain as a primary principle is the protection of human dignity. He emphasized the need to ensure the right to strike and working conditions that meet the protection of human dignity.
The day continued with the presentations on specific aspects of labor law, referring to the harmonization of the two legal systems (Greek and Cypriot) with European labor law. In particular, in the first session, the subject of personal data in labor law was analyzed by Emeritus Professor of EKPA Constantinos Papadimitriou (Greece) and Assistant Professor PL Dimitrios Koukiadis (Cyprus) and the subject of adverse discrimination was analyzed by Lawyer and Doctor of Law Dimitrios Goulas ( Greece) and Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Faculty of Law Christina Ioannou (Cyprus) ) and the Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Athens Achillea Emilianidis (Cyprus), as well as in the theme of the reconciliation of professional and family life, which was undertaken to be analyzed by the Professor of the AUTH Angelos Stergiou (Greece) and Assistant Professor of the University of Athens Anna Side. The third session included the topics of business transfer, which was analyzed by EKPA Assistant Professor Dimitrios Lada (Greece) and PL Assistant Professor Konstantinos Dimarelli (Cyprus), as well as working time, which was analyzed by Assistant Professor of EKPA Ioannis Skandalis (Greece) and the Lecturer of PL Georgios Tsaousis (Cyprus).
