Greek employers use elaborate schemes to evade digital work card system

Greek labor inspectors are encountering increasingly inventive methods employed by employers seeking to bypass the digital work card system, which mandates the electronic recording of employee working hours. These elaborate schemes aim to avoid scrutiny and circumvent labor laws, particularly in sectors experiencing a surge in employment.

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Unbelievable stratagems by some employers to avoid inspections and bypass the digital work card were revealed by an ERTnews report.

Recent reports from ERTnews highlight practices such as labeling employees as 'department heads' to exempt them from digital card requirements. In hospitality settings, workers have reportedly abandoned their duties and posed as customers when labor inspectors arrive on the scene. These tactics are designed to create a facade of compliance while undermining the system's effectiveness.

More extreme incidents have also been documented. Inspectors have found workers hiding in coffins at a carpentry workshop and employees concealed in cold storage rooms and fitting rooms to avoid being registered during inspections. These actions underscore the lengths some employers will go to evade labor regulations.

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From employees appearing as 'department heads' to staff turning into... customers when inspectors arrive, inspectors are recording practices that violate labor law.

Labor inspectors are intensifying their checks, especially in tourist destinations where employment typically increases during the summer season. The goal is to tackle undeclared and underreported work and ensure adherence to labor legislation, safeguarding workers' rights and promoting fair employment practices.

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Among the most extreme incidents recorded are employees who allegedly hid in coffins in a carpentry workshop, while in another case, employees were found in cold storage rooms and fitting rooms in an attempt not to be registered during the inspection.