The Digital Employee Card in tourism from September 1st

The Minister of Labor and Social Security announced that pilot implementation of the Digital Employee Card in tourism will begin on September 1st.

On a radio interview, Ms. Michailidou stated that, starting from Christmas, the Digital Employee Card will be mandatory for businesses operating in tourism. In addition, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security announced that July 1st, 2024, will mark the full implementation of the Digital Employee Card in manufacturing and retail, including farmers’ markets. This means that around 1.2 million employees will have to swipe their card by Christmas 2024.

More specifically, the new timetable set by the Minister of Labor provides that on July 1st the measure will be enforced to businesses operating in the sectors of manufacturing and retail. Following that, pilot implementation in tourism and catering will begin on September 1st, to be followed by mandatory implementation at the end of the year.

The Minister of Labor made it clear that the aim is to create an operational framework that will facilitate employers and, at the same time, protect employees. In this sense, she stated that there may be improvements in the future that will facilitate the implementation of the work card, without however altering the purpose of its establishment, which is none other than to increase productivity, create well-paid jobs and help businesses to become more competitive and extrovert.

As proof, however, that the Digital Employee Card is working, the Minister released evidence that 3,500 employees have been paid their accrued wages due to the digital card. “By recording working hours accurately and in real time, it is ensured that employees are paid fairly, while phenomena of undeclared or under-declared work and tax evasion are reduced,” the Minister of Labor and Social Security stressed.