Law 5239/2025 “Fair Work for All”

Law 5239/2025 (Government Gazette Α΄178 /17-10-2025), hereinafter referred to as “the Law”, has been published under the title “Fair Work for All: Simplification of Legislation – Support for the Employee – Protection in Practice – Pension Provisions and Other Regulations”. The main provisions of the Law are as follows:

Working Time Limits and 13 Hours of Work (Article 7)

The Law introduces the possibility of providing up to four hours of overtime per day (i.e., a 13th working hour), either for one or for multiple employers, under the following conditions.

Specifically, as expressly stated in the Explanatory Memorandum of the Law, the performance of a fourth daily overtime hour is permitted only when the mandatory 11 consecutive hours of daily rest between the end and the beginning of the employee’s working schedule are fully ensured. Practically, this means that this provision can be applied only by businesses, whose break period is included within the working time. All other conditions for the performance of lawful overtime remain unchanged, namely:

a)a maximum annual limit of lawful overtime of 150 hours,

b)remuneration equal to 140% of the employee’s hourly wage, and

c)declaration of the overtime work (either under the pre-notification or post-notification system).

Working Time Adjustment System (Article 8) 

The Law introduces the possibility of establishing a working time arrangement system on at least a weekly and at most an annual basis. Any additional working hours performed by the employee may result in either a corresponding reduction of working hours, equivalent rest periods, additional paid annual leave, or a combination of reduced working hours, rest days, and additional leave days. The adjustment of working time is determined through a collective agreement, and only in the absence of a trade union organization, work council, or employees’ association, or if no agreement is reached with them, may the working time arrangement be concluded through a written individual agreement between the employer and the employee.

Segmentation of annual leave (Article 10)

Annual leave shall, in principle, be taken as an unbroken period of consecutive days. By exception, the employee may take part of their annual leave according to personal needs, following a written request and acceptance by the employer. At least one portion of the annual leave must include a minimum of 6 working days for a six-day working week, 5 working days for a five-day working week, or 12 working days in the case of minors.

Recruitment to Cover Urgent Needs (Article 21) 

The Law introduces a “fast-track” recruitment process for the purpose of covering urgent staffing needs, allowing for employment of up to 2 working days per week at most. A dedicated electronic application, “Fast Recruitment” (“MyErgani”), is provided for this purpose. It is noted that the electronic submission of a notification–proposal for the conclusion of the employment contract by the employer, and its acceptance by the employee, shall be deemed to constitute and replace: a) the declaration of employment commencement, b) the declaration of digital organization of working time, and c) the declaration of termination of the employment contract.
 

Abolished Formalities (Articles 17 and 24) 

As of the publication of the Law, the imposition of administrative sanctions is abolished for the following violations: a) failure to post the personnel table and working hours schedule, b) failure to present the leave book, c) failure to present the individual employment contract terms of the staff, and d) failure to present the employees’ payslips for at least the last three months. At the same time, the obligation of enterprises to keep at the workplace the above-mentioned items (b), (c), and (d) is also abolished.

Furthermore, as of 01.01.2026, the following obligations are abolished: a) the submission of the annual Personnel Table (form E4 ERGANI – it is noted that this year the Personnel Table must be submitted), b) the entry into force of the notification of annual leave in the ERGANI Information System (Article 53(2) of Law 4611/2019), in order to permanently abolish the leave book, as annual leave will now be submitted in ERGANI II, within the calendar month following the month in which it was granted, and c) the notification of annual leave (form E11 ERGANI).

It should be noted that, specifically for the 2025 annual leave days that have not been used by 1 January 2026, the obligation to record them in the leave book remains in effect until they are fully utilized.

Employer’s Role as Safety Technician (Article 30)

The ability of the employer to perform the duties of a Safety Technician is significantly restricted. This role may now be exercised only in small and very small enterprises, with a limit of up to 20 employees, compared to the previous limit of 50 employees.

Electronic Maintenance of Safety and Health Records (Articles 32 and 34)

The Law establishes the electronic maintenance of the recommendations and reports of both the Safety Technician and the Occupational Doctor within the company’s special record book, which will now be kept electronically in the Integrated Information System of the Labor Inspectorate (OPS-SEPE). This measure aims to enhance the effectiveness of inspections and ensure legal certainty.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and Heimlich Maneuver Training (Article 39)

Employers are required to provide training on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the Heimlich maneuver, ensuring that employees are prepared for emergency situations. Specifically: If the employer employs up to 50 employees at a single facility, training must be provided through educational videos and materials made available free of charge by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. If the employer employs more than 50 employees at a single facility, the training must be provided by certified first-aid training providers to at least half of the employees at the facility, at least once every three years.