Greece labor laws regarding mandatory holiday pay increases

Under Greek labor legislation, employees working on mandatory public holidays are generally entitled to a 75% increase on their legal hourly wage for the hours worked. This regulation applies to several national holidays, including January 1st, Epiphany, March 25th, Easter Monday, May 1st, August 15th, October 28th, and December 25th and 26th.

The final compensation depends on whether the employee is paid a daily or monthly wage and the specific legal operating status of the business on that day. While most businesses are prohibited from operating on these holidays, certain sectors are legally permitted to function.

For an eight-hour shift, the 75% increase is calculated based on the legal hourly wage rather than total actual earnings. For example, an employee with no seniority earning a daily wage of 41.09 euros would receive an indicative gross increase of 36.98 euros for the day, while a monthly salaried employee earning 920 euros would see an indicative gross increase of 33.12 euros.