Digital Working Card: Increased controls and fines of EUR 40 million in the 10-month period from the Labour Inspectorate

The crucial role played by the combined with increased labour inspectorate controls in the respect of labour legislation and in ensuring labour rights was highlighted by the Minister of Labour and Social Security, as part of Parliamentary Control. “The Digital Labour Card is one of the initiatives of the government that are the front of our labour rights policies. We do not think that the digital card is panacea, but it is a very useful tool for the labour market as a whole and in particular for the protection of workers. Does it work on its own? It works in conjunction with the compliance of employers, systematic controls the very hard work of the Independent Labour Inspection Authority” Niki Kerameos initially stressed. “I think that the Labour Inspectorate is doing a very important job and we are seeing a constant improvement in all numbers. We have an increase of 8% in the number of controls since last year compared to this year. The fines for the first 10 months of 2024 imposed by the Labour Inspectorate are EUR 40 million. What does that prove? That people do their job. They come out and do checks and it is very important that with the digital card tool we can now shield workers’ rights,” he said. With regard to the opposition’s complaints of circumvention of workers’ hours, in violation of the Digital Labour Card, Mrs Kerameas recalled that the fine imposed on the employer should the Labour Inspectorate be found to be a violation of the hours of work. “The digital work card, combined with the Labour Inspectorate’s checks, addresses the examples you report. Therefore, on the one hand, the use of the Digital Card and, on the other hand, controls by the Labour Inspectorate ensure that the worker’s actual working time is recorded and that he is actually rewarded for him, hence the 62% increase in overtime in sectors where the digital card is applied” the Minister objected. In response to the opposition’s objections to the under-staffing of the ADE, Mrs Kerameos stressed that the body has 995 organic positions with a percentage of covered positions of 90%. He added that in 2024 28 new employees have been added to the workforce of the Labour Inspectorate and added that every effort has been made to further strengthen valuable manpower. “The digital work card puts a protection shield on 750,000 workers. It is a revolution with regard to the protection of the worker and from the outset a gradual implementation was envisaged. Only in recent months have we greatly strengthened the number of workers in the sectors under protection, we now touch 1,500 000 workers, taking into account tourism and focus. The Prime Minister’s intention is by the end of the four-year period to extend the digital card everywhere. In this direction we are working with two objectives: on the one hand, to protect the worker and on the other hand to protect healthy competition,” the Minister stressed by closing its secondology.