The Digital Work Card scheme, already in use in many sectors of the Greek economy, including retail and industries, is soon set to expand in the tourism and hospitality sectors, according to the Greek Labor Ministry’s planning.
To accommodate this transition in the new sectors, stakeholders in the economy, such as trade unions and chambers of commerce are scheduling events to inform both employees and businesses about the procedures.
The scheme, incorporated gradually into the economy in 2022, was introduced to ensure legal transparency for the protection of employees and reduce the high percentages of undeclared work.
The use of the digital work card has been mandatory since the start of 2024 in industry and retail with failure to comply resulting in hefty fines.
In the event a discrepancy between actual working hours marked on the card and declared hours occurs, the employer is fined €10,500 per employee.
The Digital Work Card system includes the following seven categories of businesses:
– All banks in the country as of July 1, 2022.
– Supermarkets, with more than 250 employees, as of July 1, 2022.
– Security companies, as of February 16, 2023.
– Private insurance companies, as of February 16, 2023.
– Organizations in public transport, public utilities and infrastructure construction companies, as of March 22, 2023.
– Businesses belonging to the industry sector, as of January 1, 2024.
– Businesses belonging to the retail sector, as of January 1, 2024.
