Political Courts Find Τwo Memorandum Laws Violating the Greek Constitution

An unprecedented verdict of the political courts in Greece changes the story as we know it so far. The two memorandum laws (3833/2010 and 3845/2012) that imposed reductions in salaries, benefits, etc. of the state sector employees were found unconstitutional and inconsistent with the European Convention on Human Rights and the applicable law regarding International Employment Contracts.
It is the first such verdict that the political courts found to directly contradict the decision of the Plenary of the State Council which found memorandum cuts in salaries and benefits compatible with the Greek Constitution and the European and International law.

The court verdict outlines that the measures imposed on state employees violate the collective agreements thus breaching Articles 22 and 23 of the Greek Constitution and moreover are not combined with balancing measures, such as tax or price reductions. On the contrary, taxes have spiked, which is unacceptable, according to the verdict. Article 4 of the Greek Constitution (in regard to equality) is also violated by the above mentioned memorandum laws, as salary cuts were imposed on both high- and low-salaried personnel as well.
The verdict was published by the legal magazine Employment Law Journal and comes from the County Court of Athens under Magistrate Stavroula Koutroubida.