In this page, we’ll break down all you need to know about leave laws in Greece.
Read on to learn about employees’ rights in regards to paid time off/annual leave, sick leave, parental leave, national/public holidays, and more.
This page is intended for reference purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please see official government sources or consult a legal professional for actual legal advice.
All employees in Greece are entitled to paid annual leave.
After working for their employer for one year, employees are entitled to 20 working days of annual leave for a 5-day working week and 24 working days for a 6-day working week. Leave entitlement is adjusted accordingly for employees who work less than five days a week.
After the second and third year of employment, the employee earns one additional day of annual leave each year, up to 22 days (or 26 days for those who work a 6-day week) after three years service time.
Employees in Greece are entitled to paid sick leave.
The first three days are compensated by the employer at 50% of the employee’s regular pay. Following this, the employee can apply for a sickness benefit from the Greek National Health System.
Greece has the following days as compulsory public holidays:
For these holidays, employees must be granted the day off. Several other days are classified as optional public holidays, in which it’s up to the discretion of the employer whether employees are to work or not.
Holidays do not transfer to another day if they fall on a weekend. Employees who have to work on a public holiday are compensated at 1.75x their regular pay.
Employees are entitled to 17 weeks or 119 calendar days of maternity leave. Eight weeks should be taken prior to the birth, and nine weeks after.
Maternity leave is paid by the employer for the first 15 days (if the employee has under one year of service time) or one month (if the employee has over one year of service time).
Following that time, the employee can apply for maternity benefit from social insurance.
Fathers are entitled to two days paternity leave, paid for by their employer.
Mothers have the option for an additional nine-month leave following the initial period of maternity leave, during which she will be paid the equivalent of minimum wage from the OAED (the Hellenic Manpower Employment Organization).
Employees can also claim a reduction in working hours of 1-2 hours per day, without loss of pay, for a certain time following birth as special Child Care Leave.
Employees are entitled to two days paid leave for the death of a close relative, such as a spouse, child, parent or sibling.
What is Bereavement Leave? Click here to learn more.
Employees are also entitled to leave for the following cases:
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