Of Chrysostom Chufi

The Ministry of Labor’s bill is already being discussed in Parliament with most of the attention being given to the … famous 13 -hour on which the government’s objections are mainly based. The bill, however, includes significant changes, including the use of the digital work card.

Flexible turnout

Article 22 of the bill gives employees the opportunity – of course by agreement with the employer – flexible attendance up to 120 minutes.
Suppose an employee is working properly 9 in the morning with 5 in the afternoon. Its arrangement enables it to agree with its employer coming to 11 and leave 8 hours later, until 7pm.

The flexible turnout is about the interval of the digital organization of working time starting and thereafter.

Preparation time

Preparation time according to the same article is, for example, the entry into the area of ​​the business facilities, the change of costume if required due to the job/duties, the transition to the job position and the washing after completion of the work. The preparation of the employee does not fall within the concept of working time and this is essential to the use of the digital card.

The bill provides for a period of 30 minutes before launching and 30 minutes after its end for industry workers and 2 minutes for the rest of the sectors.

Based on the above, the employee’s digital work card marking must be carried out:

1. At the start of the declared hours after the preparation time to take up a job, and

2. at the end of the declared hours before the preparation time to leave.

The law allows for more favorable agreements for the employee, according to which the preparation time is regarded as a working time.

But if at the time of preparation, one is found to be really employed then the projected sanctions are imposed by the labor inspection.

Digital Card mark

The law defines 3 single hits per month, per employee. That is, up to 3 times a month the employee can hit a card when entering the business but not in the exit or vice versa.

In these cases, however, the employer inspection is set up to … to … the “forgotten” employee.

Currently the digital work card is applied to a total of 1.5cm. workers. Since November 3, it has been expanding to wholesale, energy, financial services and administrative tourism services, raising the number of employees to 1.85 million.