The Greek Ministry of Labor and Social Security is taking urgent measures to address the thermal stress affecting private sector workers due to the heat wave expected to prevail from Tuesday to Friday.
According to the announcement, outdoor manual labor, including construction work, technical projects, and product distribution must halt from noon to 5:00 pm if temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius. Regions where such temperatures are anticipated the most are Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Central Greece, Thessaly, and the Peloponnese.
These regulations will extend nationwide until Friday, pending ongoing extreme weather conditions. However, the work cessation does not apply to economic activities involving emergency and socially critical infrastructure in the fields of health, transportation, and public utilities.
Businesses failing to comply face fines of 2,000 euros per employee, as enforced by Labor Inspection.
Public sector employees belonging to vulnerable groups, stationed in areas anticipating temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius or higher, are required to work remotely until Friday. Those whose job responsibilities prevent remote work, can opt for special leave instead of reporting to work.
