Background information

Pursuant to article 9 of the ALC of 20.03.2020 (Government Gazette Issue A’ 68 – 20.03.2020) the employer may unilaterally decide to operate on a form of part-time work. Specifically, businesses can operate by the system of work rotation using safety personnel.

However, this measure shall not exceed a six (6) months period starting from 20.3.2020.

Each employee may work for a minimum of two (2) weeks per month, continuously or intermittently, with a respective decrease in his/her salary. The above way of organizing the work is done weekly and comprises at least 50% of the business staff. An employer who applies this way of organizing work is required to maintain the same number of employees employed at the time of its commencement.

Content of measure

Employers whose economic activity is limited may, instead of terminating the contract of employment, impose a system of rotating employment in their firms, after having previously informed and consulted with the employees' lawful representatives. Rotating employment is considered to be employment for fewer days a week, or fewer weeks a month, or fewer months a year, or a combination thereof compared to full-time work. The duration of any rotating employment scheme may not exceed 9 months in the same calendar year. Employee representatives are defined, in the following order of priority, as:

• Representatives of the firm or undertaking’s most representative trade union, covering, according to its statutes, employees irrespective of category, position or skill;

• Representatives of the firm or undertaking’s existing trade unions;

• The works council;

• In the absence of trade unions or a works council, the entire workforce is notified and consulted with.

Businesses affected by COVID-19 based on their ACN can agree with their employees, whose contract is suspended the provision of remote working only for temporary business needs and on condition that only up to 10% of the employees whose employment contract is unilaterally suspended will work remotely. This remote working must be declared in the ERGANI Platform prior to its commencement and is paid by the employer proportionally based on the gross salary of the specific employee. More specifically and according to the Ministerial Decision No. 13564/1.4770/2020, employers shall submit to the ERGANI Platform the special document named 'Form 4.2 Declaration of temporary remote working'.

Use of measure

According to the Ministry of Labour  ERGANI for the first six months of 2020 426,847 people were recruited with a full-time employment contract, 338,098 with a part-time contract and 85,456 under a rotating employment contract. During the same period 2,404 employment contracts were altered from full-time to part-time, 1,577 from full-time to rotating employment.

In 2019, 1,277,396 people were recruited with a full-time employment contract, 1,203,794 with a part-time contract and 349,695 under a rotating employment contract.

In 2018, 1,218,566 people were recruited with a full-time employment contract, 1,110,239 with a part-time contract and 340,118 under a rotating employment contract.

In 2017, 1,083,418 people were recruited with a full-time employment contract, 981,758 with a part-time contract and 335,222 under a rotating employment contract.

In the first five months of 2016, the new hirings with a part-time contract or a rotating employment contract exceeded the new hirings with a full-time contract. In particular, during this time 409,060 people were recruited with a full-time employment contract, while 414,957 people were recruited either with a part-time or a rotating employment contract. In particular, 300,874 people were recruited with a part-time contract and 114,083 people were recruited with a rotating employment contract.

In 2012, there was a 18.42% reduction in full-time contracts of employment compared with 2011, and a 3.61% increase in part-time employment contracts. New hirings on part-time and rotating employment contracts represent 45% of all new contracts.

In 2010, 26,253 alterations of contracts were registered with SEPE (labour inspectorate), of which 18,713 were altered from full-time to part-time and 7,540 from full-time to rotating employment. These figures rose in 2011 to 58,962 alterations of contracts (an increase of 124.6% over 2010), of which 32,420 were altered from full-time to part-time and 26,542 from full-time to rotating employment. In 2012, alterations of contracts soared to 84,490 (an increase of 43.3% over 2011), of which 49,640 were altered from full-time to part-time and 34,850 from full-time to rotating employment.

Through this measure, dismissals can be prevented and at the same time the employer is saving employment costs in times of crisis.

It is not proved that in times of harsh economic climate this measure alone can prevent business closures.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment	Applies to all businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Unknown	Unknown
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Unknown
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

Unknown

Views and reactions

Unknown

Sources

• 30 July 2021: Emergency measures to protect public health from the risk of further spread of COVID-19 (www.taxheaven.gr)