Holidays

• 1st January – New Year’s Day
• 6th January – Epiphany
• 15th March – Orthodox Shrove Monday
• 25th March – Greek Independence Day
• 30th April – Orthodox Good Friday
• 1st May – Labour Day
• 3rd May – Orthodox Easter Monday
• 21st June – Holy Spirit Monday
• 15th August – Assumption Day
• 28th October – National Anniversary Day
• 25th December – Christmas Day

26th December – Synaxis of the Mother of God

Paid Time Off

PTO (Paid Time Off)

• Vacation/Annual Paid Leave

First calendar year of employment. The employer must provide the employee with proportionate holiday time. In a six-day employment schedule, the employer must provide the employee with two days of holiday for each month of employment (24 for the entire year). In a five-day employment schedule, the holiday time is calculated at twenty days of holiday for the year of employment, rounding up the result for shorter periods.

Second calendar year. Once twelve months of employment are completed holiday time increases by one day. Therefore, by the end of the second calendar year, the employee is entitled to have received 21 days of holiday, in a five-day employment schedule, or 25 days of holiday, in a six-day employment schedule.

Third calendar year onwards. Once the third calendar year has commenced, the employee is entitled to receive the entire holiday time at any time of the year, even on 1st January. Once 24 months of employment are completed, the employee is entitled to receive 22 days of holiday, in a five-day employment schedule, or 26 days of holiday, in a six-day employment schedule.

For employees that have been working for more than 12 years, or for more than 10 years for the same employer, holiday time is calculated on a basis of 25 days for a five-day employment schedule and 30 days for a six-day employment schedule. Once 25 years of service are completed, an extra day of the holiday is added, and the employee is entitled to receive 26 days for a five-day employment schedule and 31 days for a six-day employment schedule.

• Rollovers and payout of unused hours

• Use-it-or-lose-it policy Not specified by law.

• PTO payout at the termination 

If the employer terminates the employment without notice, he must pay the full indemnity. If the termination takes place with prior notice, then the employer is obliged to pay half the amount of the severance pay.

Maternity Leave, Child Raising Leave, Parental Leave

Maternity Leave

Female employees are entitled to up to 17 weeks (eight weeks before and nine weeks after the birth) of paid maternity leave. 

A mother is protected from contract termination for the duration of her pregnancy, for a time period of 18 months following labor, and for absences due to sickness resulting from pregnancy or labor. During this time period, the employment contract can only be terminated for a significant reason and with increased formal requirements.

Mothers may take a special six-month leave during which OAED pays to the mother, on a monthly basis, an amount equal to the statutory minimum pay, plus a proportion for holiday bonuses and allowances based on that amount.

Paternity Leave

Fathers are entitled to up to two days of leave on the birth of a child.

Surrogacy Leave

Intended surrogate parents are entitled to the same leaves provided for childcare and raising the child as if they were the child’s genetic parents.

Adoption Leave

Employees are entitled to paid leave in order to adopt a child younger than six years.

Parental Leave

Parents are entitled to unpaid leave for at least four months for each parent, starting from the end of the maternity leave and until the child becomes six years old. 

Sick Leave

Greece Leave Laws – Sick Leave

Depending on the length of their service, employees are entitled to:

• One month of leave for employees working for up to four years.
• Three months of leave for employees working from four to ten years.
• Four months of leave for employees working for more than ten years.
• Six months of leave for employees working for more than 15 years.

If the sickness occurs during the first year of service, employees are entitled to half of their monthly earnings and to their monthly payment if the sickness occurs after the first year of employment.

Jury Duty Leave, and Voting Leave

Employees are entitled to one to three days off work in order to vote. The number of days given is related to the distance between the polling station and the workplace.

Bereavement Leave

Employees are entitled to up to two days of paid leave due to a death of a close family member.

Military Leave

Not specified by law.

Please consult your local legal counsel to learn more about Greece Leave Laws.

To learn more about laws in various countries, check out our Leave Laws page.