The Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers has repeatedly requested clarifications on overtime in hotels, as recorded by the Ministry of Labor, as stated in a post on social networks, citing reports that overtime in the industry in April skyrocketed by more than 1000% compared to the corresponding month in 2024 after the implementation of the Digital Labor Card.
In detail, the POX post:
“We have repeatedly asked the Ministry of Labor to inform us of the exact method of calculating overtime. In particular, we await official confirmation that this calculation does not include either overtime, which until recently, although it was paid and insured, did not appear in the ERGANI system, or break time, which is not considered working time. Without these basic data, neither the volume nor the range of actual overtime can be determined with certainty.
Regardless of this, even if we accept that 45,000 hours of overtime were worked, it is worth examining this figure on a real basis. If we take into account that the number of hotel employees exceeds 220,000, even if we assume that only half of them work in April, then 45,000 hours of overtime correspond to less than half an hour of overtime per employee for the entire month, i.e., less than 1 minute per day. These are, therefore, statements of impression and not of substance. If, in fact, the above figures include overtime and/or breaks, then we are talking about practically meaningless findings.
It should also be taken into account that the number of vacant jobs in the sector is in the tens of thousands, which creates an objective need to strengthen overtime employment. We note that overtime is now more attractive to businesses, both due to the elimination of bureaucratic obstacles with the implementation of the Digital Labor Card, and due to the reduction of the relevant cost, due to the exemption from employer contributions.
In our opinion, instead of focusing the public debate on the legal and controlled overtime employment of one of the most responsible and regulated sectors of the Greek economy, it would be more beneficial to “We must deal with the problems that have been created for employees and businesses by the implementation of the Digital Employment Card, problems that we do not see being addressed within the framework of the announced labor bill.”
