Concern over new labor bill’s rules
A Labor Ministry bill expected to be voted into law next week will result in new obligations and binding timetables for all enterprises.
The majority of employer associations noted at the parliamentary committee meetings that the bill’s provisions will increase rather than reduce the bureaucratic obstacles which hamper enterprises’ everyday operations.
Minister Efi Achtsioglou responded that the ministry will consider employers’ criticism, adding that it has also heard criticism from employees about overtime that not only goes undeclared by employers but also goes unpaid.
She also said it is possible that employers will soon be able to declare their employees’ overtime through text messages so as to simplify procedures mainly for smaller enterprises, as she noted that large enterprises that make a habit of not declaring overtime represent a big problem.
The bill will force employers to declare any changes to their employees’ working hours and overtime on the ministry’s Ergani hiring database before any such changes are implemented or else risk being fined.
