ECONOMY

More firms put staff on forced leave

More firms put staff on forced leave

More and more enterprises in the private sector, from all fields and around the country, are telling staff not to come in to work, cutting their hours or even placing them on forced leave, citing force majeure clauses.

Entrepreneurs have told Kathimerini that the next step will have to be layoffs, as the market has frozen and with it any plans for corporate growth.

Complaints have been submitted (most of them anonymous) to state authorities about employers who have asked their staff not to go to work. In the majority of cases the employees have been put on forced leave, a measure that may not be permitted by the labor laws but which is allowed by the civic code in case of a situation considered as a force majeure. Some employers have even suspended the operation of entire sections of their businesses until Greek banks reopen.

Interestingly, while the number of companies postponing staff salary payments due to the bank closures and capital controls is growing, the last few days have seen an increase in the number of corporations which are paying July or even August salaries and summer bonuses earlier, due to fears of a haircut on bank deposits.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.