Greece expands Digital Work Card to new sectors and public sector

Greece is expanding the implementation of the Digital Work Card to new sectors and the public sector to improve labor monitoring and overtime compensation.

In the private sector, the expansion will occur in two phases starting in October 2026, covering approximately 500,000 additional employees. This will bring the total number of covered private-sector employees to roughly 2.5 million. The first phase includes telecommunications, healthcare, cleaning services, and hair salons, while the second phase includes consulting, advertising, logistics, and water management. Data from the Ergani II system indicates that previous implementations led to a 37% average increase in reported overtime in sectors like wholesale and hospitality.

Simultaneously, the system is being extended to the public sector, including municipal and community employees. The new framework requires electronic recording of arrival times, departure times, and any changes to daily schedules. These records will be transmitted to a central information system managed by the Ministry of Interior to ensure oversight and interoperability. The goal is to eliminate “virtual” overtime and ensure that compensation is directly linked to actual hours worked, with unit heads held responsible for the accuracy of the records.