Holiday pay in Greece: who receives and how much

All employees in Greece are entitled to holiday pay, which is paid along with holiday pay before the start of annual leave. The size of the payment depends on the work regime, form of payment and the time the employee worked for the employer.

Right to holiday allowance associated with the right to annual paid leave. As indicated Greek Labor Inspectorateduring the furlough the employee must receive the normal benefits that he would have received had he continued to work during the relevant period.

In addition to the vacation pay itself, the employee is entitled to holiday allowance. Its amount is calculated according to the same principles as vacation pay, but with a set limit: for employees with a monthly salary, the benefit cannot exceed half a month’s salaryand for those who receive daily, hourly or interest payments – 13 daily earnings. This confirms KEPEA/GSEE.

How benefits are calculated

The amount of vacation pay depends on how much time the employee actually worked for a particular employer. If the employee has not worked the full period, the amount is calculated in proportion to the time worked.

For an employee with a monthly salary, the maximum benefit is half a month’s salary. For an employee with daily wages, the maximum amount is – 13 daily earnings. Hourly wages and interest payments are also calculated taking into account actual earnings and the corresponding period of work.

Simply put, this is not a “gift” from the employer or a gesture of goodwill in front of the sea, sun and ferry prices. This is a legal payment that comes with the right to annual leave. The employer cannot replace it with beautiful words about the family atmosphere in the team, although some, of course, would try.

When is the money paid?

Vacation pay and vacation pay must be paid in advance – at the start of the employee’s vacation. KEPEA/GSEE expressly states that both payments are pre-paid to the employee at the start of the leave and cannot be counted towards higher regular payments if the employer pays more than the minimum required. KEPEA/GSEE

This is an important detail: the employee should not wait for vacation pay after returning to work. The point of the payment is precisely for the person to receive the money before the vacation, and not after he has already returned with an empty wallet and moral trauma from the prices on the islands.

What happens when you quit?

If the employment relationship is terminated before the employee has used the entitlement to annual leave, he is entitled to receive the payments that he would have received if the leave had been granted. This applies to both dismissal and leaving work for other reasons.

In other words, unused vacation does not disappear simply because the employment contract has ended. The employee must be paid the appropriate vacation pay and benefits due as calculated by law.

What is important for employees to remember?

An employee should check three things: how many days of vacation he is entitled to, how vacation pay is calculated and whether it is paid separately holiday allowance. This should be done especially carefully by those who work for less than a full year, on hourly pay, with daily earnings, on a shift schedule, or quit before using their vacation.

The main rule is simple: vacation pay is not a bonus, not a bonus, or a kind smile from the employer. This is part of the employee’s labor rights. And if you have to ask for the right every time, then the problem is no longer in the leave, but in how the employer understands the law.

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