Overtime and Overwork

Work from the 46th hour (five days) and 49th (six days) to 150 hours per year of legal overtime, is paid with a surcharge of 40% on the hourly wage paid. (article 4 of Law 4808/2021).

Exceeding 150 hours of legal overtime per year is remunerated with a 60% surcharge on the hourly wage paid.

Ιllegal overtime:

Ιllegal overtime is considered any hour that takes place without the compliance of the prescribed procedures and is paid with the paid hourly wage increased by 120%.

In case of a conventional schedule of less than 40 hours per week, the employment beyond this shorter schedule and up to 40 hours is paid as additional work (hourly wage).

In every sector of economic activity, full-time employment is set at forty (40) hours per week, which may be divided into five-day or six-day weekly work, in accordance with applicable provisions, collective bargaining agreements or arbitral awards. When a five-day weekly work system is applied, the full conventional working hours amount to eight (8) hours per day, while when a six-day weekly work system is applied, the full working hours amount to six (6) hours and forty (40) minutes per day. With collective bargaining agreements, arbitration awards or individual employment contracts it is possible to apply shorter full-time hours per day and per week.

When the daily working time exceeds four (4) consecutive hours, a break of at least fifteen (15) minutes and a maximum of thirty (30) minutes is granted, during which the employees are entitled to be removed from their job. This break is not considered working time and may not be taken continuously at the beginning or end of the daily work.

Employees who work full-time but intermittent hours for all or some days of the week, are entitled to rest, between sections of their working hours, which may not be less than three (3) hours.

If there is a need for additional work in addition to the agreed one, the employee has an obligation to provide it, if she is able to do so and his refusal is not contrary to good faith. Additional work can be provided, if the employee agrees and on a schedule, which is not continuous in relation to the agreed schedule of the same day, subject to the provisions on daily rest. If work is provided beyond the agreed, the part-time employee is entitled to a corresponding remuneration with an increase of twelve percent (12%) on the agreed remuneration for each additional hour of work he will provide. The part-time employee may refuse to provide work beyond the agreed-upon period when the additional work takes place in the usual way. In any case, this additional work may be carried out at most until the completion of the full time of the comparable employee.

All discrimination between employees and craftsmen regarding the pre-appointment period and the termination of employment contracts is abolished.