Social Security Law
The provision of social security is a right of the workers and at the same time an obligation of the State. In particular, based on article 22 par. 5 of the Constitution, "The state takes care of the social security of employees, as prescribed by law".
According to the wording interpretation of this article, the constitutional legislator places a reservation above the law. This implies that it is up to the legislator to define the axes of the general insurance policy of the State. Therefore, social security must be understood as a branch of social protection.
The assurance and enjoyment of this right by all employeesconstitutesa state's obligation. By this institution is achieved both the protection of workers from occupational or other economic risks and the consolidation of harmony and social solidarity within society thanks to equal treatment and provision of similar benefits to all.
A European welfare state must ensure a satisfactory level of insurance benefits on equal terms, distributive as well as a pension system fully responsive to the years of work and payment of insurance premiums by employees. However, this does not imply that the pension system should be remunerative because this would endanger the economic viability of state insurance agencies. Therefore, this law includes the social risks as the initial concept of social security, the distinction between (social) insurance and security, the organization of social security in Greece, the insurance of employees in the existing institutions and now in the unified e-EFKA, issues regarding insurance time, contributions as well as all kinds of benefits (old age, disability, death pensions, sickness and maternity benefits in kind and in money, unemployment benefits).
In essence, social security is a long-suffering institution that has been confronted for the last 15 years with the modern problems of Greek society, such as unemployment, the lack of reserves of the insurance funds, which, in combination with the crisis regarding the constitutionality of the recent cuts in social security benefits, intensify the difficulty of implementing a fair and effective social policy.
