“The Digital Work Card is a revolution in the labor market and sends a message of social justice,” emphasized Friday Kostis Hatzidakis, visiting the headquarters of the National Insurance Company.

The employees and management of National Insurance expressed to the Minister of Labour their satisfaction for the start of the application of the Digital Work Card.

It is recalled that the Digital Work Card was extended from the previous Thursday 16/2 to the branches of insurance companies and security companies, while it has already been applied to banks and supermarkets with more than 250 employees since last summer. This means that the Digital Work Card is already used by more than 150,000 workers, employed in the specific sectors (and industry, DEKO, tourism and restaurants will follow). Workers in these industries “scan” their card (which can be printed or more commonly a mobile phone app) when entering and leaving work and the start/end statement is automatically transmitted to the P.S. ERGANI. In this way, the observance of working hours, the recording of overtime, the transparency of inspections by the Labor Inspectorate, as well as the safeguarding of conditions of equal competition between businesses are shielded.

Mr. Hatzidakis spoke with executives and employees of National Insurance, who emphasized that the system is implemented without problems and any technical difficulties encountered in consultation with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. They also noted that expanding the application of the measure will contribute to the fight against undeclared work.

It is noted that this particular company already had a timekeeping system for recording the hours of the employees. Since last week, he has been using the P.S. card scanner system and applications for this specific function. TOOLS, which are available free of charge to employees and businesses that are part of the Digital Work Card system.

Mr. Hatzidakis had a separate meeting with the management of the National Insurance Employees Union, who requested that the appropriate technical measures be taken to fully implement the Digital Card for contract workers, as well as those employed in agencies or to telecommuting, as well as to protect the maintenance of flexible hours that can (according to the business contract) be implemented by employees in the context of reconciling work and family life. For example, working 15 minutes longer 4 days a week in order to leave an hour earlier on the fifth day. Mr. Hatzidakis underlined that the technical issues will be dealt with in the direction requested by the employees, while there will be a general regulation for telecommuting that concerns more branches. He was also explicitly in favor of the possibility for employees to choose flexible hours to serve their family needs, as provided by law 4808/2021 “For the protection of work”, a possibility which is preserved with the Digital Work Card.

In his statements, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Kostis Hatzidakis, emphasized: “The Digital Labor Card is a revolution in the labor market and sends a message of social justice. First of all, because with the Digital Work Card we ensure that the employee’s hours are respected and that his overtime is paid, in an unmistakable way. And on the other hand, because a fair competition between businesses is guaranteed. So we will support the Digital Work Card. We started with banks and supermarkets. We are now moving forward with the insurance and security companies, followed by industry, DEKO, tourism and catering. The reduction of insurance contributions is an additional benefit of implementing the digital job card. Because, with the application of this new tool, delinquency is dealt with. And by dealing with delinquency there is greater insurance material. So having more insurance material one can reduce the insurance contributions in a healthy way”.

The General Secretary of Labor Relations, Anna Stratinaki, pointed out: “We are now on a good path with the second cycle. Objectively, the project is difficult, because we are entering industries that have particularities. Insurance companies – you may see people who are mainly office-based – is an industry that has very special points that need attention. In other words, there are employees, such as estimators or experts respectively, who do not have a fixed presence. Also for security companies, it is a very serious undertaking, if you consider that the work card comes close to employees who now work remotely. Thus opening the way to the technical transfer and the operational transfer of the Digital Work Card. And in telecommuting, which we will see a little below. In any case, the instructions of the political leadership, in combination and always in cooperation with the Labor Inspectorate, will provide a safe transition for the other branches as well. As the Minister also said, industry follows and by extension tourism and catering. It is an undertaking that builds a culture of support for rights on the part of both employees and employers. In other words, it ensures both sides but at the same time makes the work of the Labor Inspectorate better.”

The CEO of National Insurance, Robert Gauci, said: “First of all, we did very well. We had prepared so much for this trip. And it’s one more tool to help our people have a good balance between their personal and professional lives. Of course, we had started long before. But if we do it right and if we really understand what the person needs and the company, as it is now, works very well. I have no doubt that we are going in the right direction. But we have to be flexible and understand exactly how it can be done in reality. And this is already starting to be done properly. I’m very optimistic about the future and it has to go into all industries in the right way.”

The Director of Human Resources of the National Insurance Company, Dalia Tomrou, said: “The process with the Digital Work Card went very well. We started quite early. We had information and constant contact with the Ministry, they gave us instructions. ERGANI’s systems work well, we have the platform. Our people were prepared because we had the mentality of the card anyway. I think it will go well, with tweaks and solving any technical issues we see now along the way.”

Chrysanthi Pototsidi, an employee at the Human Resources Department noted: “Every beginning is difficult, but the colleagues from the Human Resources Department ran the whole project from the beginning very correctly, following all the instructions from the Ministry, as well as from the Insurance Association Companies. It has been going very well so far. The world has embraced it, without particular problems. I think it is a measure that should have been adapted. In addition to the digitization of the schedule that had to be done, it is also a step up to combat “black” work, which I think is the ultimate goal of this project. I believe that everything will go well from the side of company administrations and human resources, and I think it is time for it to go to other industries, so that they also follow the same path.”