Targeted audits to combat delinquency in the fields of labor relations and health and safety at work will also be carried out in 2024 by the Independent Labor Inspection Authority.

According to the recent ministerial decision. fixed at 67,700, being the minimum total number of scheduled checks to be carried out by the Labor Inspectors. A goal that, as it is estimated, can be exceeded, as happened last year. In particular, in 2023, checks reached 73,579, much more than the 66,000 that were initially predicted and increased by almost 13% compared to 2022 (65,286).

Speaking to APE-MPE, the commander of the Independent Labor Inspection Authority, Giorgos Tzilivakis, declares that this year’s goal is another challenge, “which we are called upon to cope with successfully for another year, in order to stand by society and the labor market, defending the rights of workers, but also of businesses that operate legally”.

According to Mr. Tzilivakis, in addition to the quantitative increase, the ongoing quality upgrade of controls is also requested, i.e. the appropriate targeting where higher delinquency is observed. As he points out, this is achieved by the continuous use of all available digital tools and the accumulated experience of Inspectors in the field of controls.

A decisive role in the whole effort is played by the planning of controls based on risk analysis, which aims at the effective supervision of businesses in terms of the consistent application of labor legislation and legislation on health and safety at work, the fight against any delinquency , the protection of workers, the drastic reduction of work accidents and the generally orderly functioning of the labor market.

Where will the controls be focused?

Based on the planning, out of a total of 67,700 checks, 39,993 concern the prevention and treatment of delinquency in the field of labor relations, including the fight against undeclared work, in all branches of economic activity, with the main priority:

  • in businesses and industries with a high risk of delinquency,
  • in businesses that have not been audited in the last three years,
  • in companies that have been audited in the last three years and were found to be in violation, for the purpose of checking compliance,
  • in businesses that operate on a seasonal basis,
  • in sectors in which posted workers or third-country national workers are employed,
  • in companies in which the Digital Work Card system is applied or will be applied,
  • in businesses and industries with a high concentration of child labor and
  • in constructions and technical projects.

The remaining 27,707 inspections are related to the prevention and treatment of violations in the field of health and safety at work in all branches of economic activity, with the main priority being in companies that belong to risk categories A and B of Law 3850/2010, as in constructions and technical projects, where the target is to increase inspections by 10% from 2023, in the food industry, where the same target is set for an increase of inspections by 10% from 2023, in companies that have not been inspected in the last three years and in businesses employing two-wheeled deliverymen.

What do the January figures show?

Based on the latest available data, in January 2024, the Independent Labor Inspection Authority carried out 5,684 inspections, imposed 1,110 sanctions and the amount of fines amounted to 2,670,424 euros.

Specifically, the Labor Relations Inspectorate carried out 3,098 inspections, the Health & Safety Inspectorate carried out 2,090 inspections and 496 inspections were carried out by the Special Inspectors.