Greece digitizes public sector timekeeping with new card system
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The Greek government will implement a digital time card system for all public sector employees, tracking arrival, departure, and overtime hours.
The new system, outlined in a recently passed Interior Ministry bill, applies to civil servants, municipal employees, and those on fixed or indefinite contracts, excluding organizations already using digital time cards under labor law. The system will connect to the Interior Ministry’s central information system, mirroring how the ERGANI system currently monitors private sector employees.
Existing timekeeping systems can continue if they can integrate with the new system. Supervisors will have access only to the time data of employees they oversee through the Human Resources Management System. The government also allows for biometric identification as an exceptional measure, only when less intrusive methods of timekeeping prove insufficient or unsuitable, especially in sensitive areas like critical infrastructure or national security.
This digital card aims to eliminate falsely reported overtime hours by recording actual hours worked and ensuring employees are paid accordingly. Currently, some public sector entities record a flat 20 hours of overtime monthly for entire departments, regardless of actual hours. The government estimates this change will bring order to overtime costs and ensure accurate compensation for time worked, after a recent adjustment to public sector pay in April 2026 increased monthly salaries by 40 euros and adjusted overtime pay.
