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Abstract
This paper examines the current struggles between labour and capital in Greece within the broader context of attempts to integrate Southern Europe into the neoliberal project of European Monetary Union (EMU). In the absence of institutional mechanisms, such as institutions of competitive corporatism, to restrain organized labour and embed neoliberalism in Greece, the austerity measures imposed on Greece by the Troika of the European Union (EU), European Central Bank (ECB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are precipitating an internal devaluation of labour costs through the institutional transformation of collective bargaining institutions and the flexibilization of labour markets, and further embedding neoliberalism through the creation of National Competitiveness Boards.
Notes
Disclosure statement
The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of this article.
Notes on contributor
Geoff Kennedy teaches in the Department of Political Science at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
Notes
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29 European Commission, Stability, Coordination and Governance, Title IV, Article 9.
30 International Monetary Fund, Greece.
31 International Monetary Fund, Greece.
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49 International Labour Organization, “Law 1876.”
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60 At the time of writing, the Leave campaign emerged victorious in the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum. The hope among Greek trade unionists is that Brexit will force European elites to rethink the current austerity programs being imposed on Greece. Interview with Mylonas Giorgos (June 23, 2016).