The next step is its implementation. Digital work cardwith its distribution to DEKO.

In the first phase, the digital work card will be extended until the end of April by DEKOs in the public services sector, for example in the transport sector, covering 18,000 workers, with the remaining DEKOs following later.

In this context, meetings are scheduled in the coming days with the management of these companies and employee representatives to seamlessly join the Digital Work Card mechanism and receive information about the new procedures that will be applied when employees come and go to workplaces.

According to what was announced, the introduction of a digital work map in these sectors is considered necessary, especially after the omissions found in the “shadow” of the Tempi rail disaster.

Which employees are affected – implementation schedule

It is recalled that from the summer of 2022, the Digital Labor Card will be applied to banks and supermarkets that employ more than 250 employees. From February 16, 2023, its application began in two more business areas, insurance companies and security companies.

According to the Ministry of Labor, the measure has so far covered more than 150,000 workers in the four sectors mentioned above.

Then, following a relevant statement by Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis and after consultation with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced that the digital labor card covers the following DEKOs:

• OSE SA
• HAVE WORKED
• Fixed communications CA
• OSI
• JACA
• OSET
• OSTECH
• Metro Attica
• Building Infrastructure SA
• Egnatia Odos S.A.
• AIDAP
• ELTA

It was decided to include Hellenic Train and Hellenic Railway Equipment Maintenance Company in these operations in order to uniformly address issues related to the workers of the country’s railway network.

According to the established schedule, industry, tourism and catering will follow.

According to the Ministry of Labor, companies operating in the energy sector will join when the industry joins this system at the next stage.

What is a digital work card?

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the digital card introduces two important security measures that make checks easier and more automatic and objective, namely:

1. The beginning and end of work is automatically reported to the information system “ERGANI II”.
2. The auditor before visiting the workplace knows which employees should be there.

In addition, employees can use digital work card records, which provide them with full proof of the time they actually worked.

As the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs points out, with the implementation of the Digital Labor Card, which ensures transparency and fairness in the relationship between the employer and the employee and is the best guarantee of working time:

• The interests of employees are protected by taking full account of actual working time.
• The basis for transparent and efficient inspections has been created, as the inspectors of the Labor Inspectorate will know before the inspection how many and which workers should be at the workplace.
• Companies that respect the law are protected from unfair competition with those who practice undeclared or undocumented work.
• The income of the insurance system from contributions is guaranteed.

The digital work card includes the myERGani mobile application, which employees “download” to their mobile phone, and the Ergani CardScanner application for enterprises, which “reads” employees’ Digital Cards at the beginning and end of work and automatically transmits information in real time to the information system “ERGANI II”.

Finally, it is clarified that the Digital Work Card covers all forms of employment, working hours (fixed, variable, shift and overtime), while all forms of leave received by employees are electronically recorded.

Source: RES-IPE