Employment & Social Security

POTAMITISVEKRIS supported a Greek department store for its acquisition by a listed holding company, a landmark transaction in Greek retail. Our team was comprised of partners: George Bersis, Vassilis Stergiou, Euripides Ioannou, Alexios Papastavrou, and Aspasia Malliou

We are happy to announce that our firm supported a leading luxury beach resort group in the Mediterranean, with all Greek law-related aspects regarding the sale of a majority stake to the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund. A landmark deal which valued the luxury beach resort group at €2.3bn, the biggest deal in the European hotel sector since the Covid-19 pandemic. Our team was led by Partners George Bersis and Theologos Mintzas who were supported by Eirini Zaglanika (IP), Anastasia Platipodi (Employment), and Ioanna Loudarou (Finance).

We advised a mining company on the negotiations for the signing of a new Collective Labour Agreement. Our Employment practice Senior Associates, Despoina Charakopoulou and Nikolas Sigkridis, and Associate, Dionysios Giannopoulos, successfully represented the client before the Organisation of Mediation and Arbitration (OMED). The new operational agreement includes 1) the implementation of safety measures that the Union initially rejected and 2) a 24/7 operation, which will facilitate and enhance the transformation and economic viability of the mining activities.

POTAMITISVEKRIS Employment & Social Security Partner Alexios Papastavrou and associate Dionysios Giannopoulos successfully represented one of the largest private hospitals in Greece. The Court of First Instance of Athens, on its first of what is expected to be a number of decisions, rejected a health worker’s petition for injunction, finding that the obligation to vaccinate must be respected.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team successfully defended employers in 8 different petitions for reinstatement by employees who had transferred following spin-offs.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team successfully defended an employer against claims of application of a branch collective bargaining agreement to a different branch.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team advised one of the largest employers in Greece on employment law – related matters generated by the largest spin-offs in Greece, including the automatic transfer of employees.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team advised a systemic bank on employment law – related matters generated by the sale of a branch and the application of the ARD and the Greek presidential decree 178/2002.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team advised a systemic bank on employment law – related matters generated by the sale of a branch and the application of the ARD and the Greek presidential decree 178/2002, as well as on the design and implementation of a Voluntary Redundancy Scheme.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team are advising a systemic Greek bank on employment law matters resulting from spin-offs and TUPE

Alexios Papastavrou and his team represented more than 50 different employers before various Courts and Labor Inspections on matters involving claims of annulations of terminations, discriminatory terminations, sexual harassment, labour accidents, overtime etc.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team supported a Greek bank on the successful amicable termination of all employment agreements of the totality of its personnel (more than 200 employees)

Alexios Papastavrou and team supported a major restaurant chain in the amendment of the employment agreements of more than 700 employees.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team advised and represented a telecom company on matters of collective labour law, including industrial conflict and strikes.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team successfully defended an international bank before the Court of Appeal on claims of a total value of more than 25 M €, filed by ex employees.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team successfully advised a leading pharma company on the amicable termination of the employment agreements of more than half of its sales workforce in Greece.

Alexios Papastavrou and team successfully defended a systemic Greek Bank against claims (of more than 10 M €) filed by 729 employees re: an old pension plan, on the basis of the Acquired Rights Directive. Our team won all trials, including before the Court of Appeal.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team for 2019 and until now have defended clients against claims for overtime and unfair dismissal, in more than 5 and 10 cases, respectively. Also they have successfully defended client in more than 50 labour disputes before Labour Authorities (including Union matters and employee’s allegations for harassment for Union reasons, etc.) and more than 5 cases of work-related fatal accidents.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team defended a major systemic bank against claims of 729 employees. The main issue in question was whether ARD applies in cases of Bank restructurings following a decision of the Governor of the Bank of Greece.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team drafted new employment agreements for an airline’s Crew Personnel.

Alexios Papastavrou defended a Greek industry (part of a multinational group of Companies) before the Supreme Court on claims of more than 50 M €.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team defended a major industry against claims of more than 50 employees for unfair dismissal.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team defended a privatized ex public company against claims of co-employment from outsourcer’s employees.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team defended a major industry against claims of more than 50 employees for unfair dismissal.

Alexios Papastavrou and his team defended a major foreign bank against claims of its employees on the legal basis of equal treatment.

Alexios Papastavrou and team successfully represented a major industry against claims of illegal dismissals by more than 400 employees.

Alexios Papastavrou and team successfully represented a major international bank against claims by more than 500 former employees who were requesting c.€140m and interest from the partial liquidation of a defined benefit pension scheme.

Alexios Papastavrou and team represented 178 different clients during 2016, more than 90% of which were employers and more than 80% of which were multinational companies, in more than 225 Court hearings with a success rate of over 93%.

Alexios Papastavrou and team successfully represented a major industry before the EU Court on its challenge against the Greek law on collective redundancies.

Alexios Papastavrou and team successfully represented a major international bank against claims by 422 former employees who were requesting c.€138m and interest from the partial liquidation of a pension scheme.

Alexios Papastavrou and team are representing a major new industrial client in various employment litigation matters, mainly for allegedly illegal dismissals for technical and financial reasons and benefits, involving more than 1,000 employees.

Alexios Papastavrou and team represented over 150 different clients during 2015, more than 90% of which were employers and more than 80% of which were multinational companies, in more than 200 Court hearings with a success rate of over 92%.

Alexios Papastavrou and team successfully defended a foreign bank against claims by its Greek ex-employees exceeding the amount of €40m.

Alexios Papastavrou and team successfully represented a tobacco company in unfair dismissal cases concerning employees, including members of the union executive, and in pensions cases disputing the passing from a defined benefit pension plan to a defined contribution one.

Alexios Papastavrou and team represented over 100 different clients in the second half of 2014, more than 90% of which were employers and more than 80% of which were multinational companies, in more than 150 Court hearings with a success rate of over 95%.

Alexios Papastavrou and team successfully represented an international bank in employment law litigation, following its exit from Greece.

Alexios Papastavrou and team acted on behalf of an international bank on an advisory basis and successfully represented it in individual and collective employment law litigation arising from the employment and pension issues stemming from the transfer of its consumer business sector, including negotiation with the employees’ representatives, involvement in the drafting of the relevant clauses of the SPA and advising on the liquidation of the pension plans.

Alexios Papastavrou and team advised an international group of shipping companies in the successful wide scale reorganization of two major companies, including the termination of office of their CEO and other senior executives, in one of the most widely discussed business cases in Greece.

Alexios Papastavrou and team have represented over 100 different clients in the second half of 2014, more than 90% of which were employers and more than 80% of which were multinational companies, in more than 150 Court hearings with a success rate of over 95%.