The use of the digital work card in Greece has revealed a surge of overtime hours, as recorded on the ERGANI system.
“In sectors where it has been implemented, the overtime hours reported to the ERGANI information system have risen sharply,” said Minister of Labor and Social Security, Niki Kerameus, on Tuesday, highlighting the security companies where overtime increased by 12%.
Almost all industries that adopted the digital card have seen a rise in reported and recorded overtime hours, across the country.
The ministry attributes this rise, in recorded overtime, first of all to the country’s economic growth and secondly to the implementation of the digital card.
According to ERGANI data, since the card’s introduction in 2022, overtime has steadily increased. While 1.87 million hours of overtime were recorded in 2021, there was a significant 36.9% rise in 2022, with businesses reporting 2.56 million overtime hours.
From Jan. to July of 2024, 1.53 million hours of overtime were recorded, slightly up from the same period last year.
Sectors where significant overtime increases have been observed include supermarkets, with an increase of 24.5% and the banking sector where cumulative overtime grew by 14%.
In retail and industry, sectors that adopted the card in 2024, there was an over 10% rise in overtime for the first seven months compared to the same period in 2023.
Kerameus further pointed out that the Labor Inspectorate also plays a crucial role. Official data shows a 7.5% increase in inspections, with 30 million euros in fines imposed, most of which pertained to digital card violations.
However, the introduction of the digital work card in the tourism and food service sectors is expected to be more challenging. A pilot program began in Sept. towards the end of the tourist season in an effort not to cause any disruptions to the sector during the summer season.
Given the complexity of the tourism industry, known for its high rates of labor law violations, it is due to face new challenges with the card implementation.
