- Hotel workers’ representatives say they continue to receive complaints about misuse of Greece’s digital work card system.
- The allegations concern a minority of hotels, according to Nikos Kokolakis, President of the Heraklion Hotel Employees Association.
- Workers reportedly claim they are sometimes asked to work while officially recorded as being off duty.
- Misuse leaves exhausted workers vulnerable to income loss and severe liability in the event of workplace accidents, while occupancy hits 90% to 100%.
- The union is calling for stronger inspections and full compliance with labor regulations.
Behind Heraklion’s near-100 percent hotel occupancy lies a labor dispute.
Despite the widespread rollout of Greece’s digital timecard (Psifiaki Karta Ergasias) meant to guarantee fair labor tracking, widespread violations continue to plague Heraklion’s hotel sector. In a report uncovered by Cretalive, Nikos Kokolakis, President of the Heraklion Hotel Employees Association, revealed that while law-abiding hotels exist, daily complaints confirm systematic wage theft and timecard manipulation across certain regional operations.
With hotel occupancy soaring past 90% and reaching 100% across central Crete, frontline staff face unrelenting physical strain compounded by employers bypassing basic labor protocols.
Kokolakis urged employers to fully respect Greece’s collective labor agreement and called on workers not to hand over their digital work cards to supervisors or colleagues, stressing that the cards are personal and should only be used by the employee.
Off-the-Clock Shifts and Hidden Rest Days
According to Kokolakis, some establishments collect employees’ digital cards at reception, allowing managers to record hours selectively:
“There are daily complaints from specific businesses where cards remain at reception and an employee punches them at will. There are workers who haven’t even seen their cards this year… We have reports that while employees appear on the ‘Ergani’ system to be having a day off, they are called into work without scanning their cards. There is lost income, and simultaneously, if a workplace accident occurs, severe legal issues arise.”
Kokolakis urged workers never to relinquish their digital credentials, emphasizing that timecards are personal data.
Wage Structure and Understaffed Inspectors
While collective bargaining agreements raised baseline hotel wages, pushing entry rates to €1,010 and top bands to €1,071 before bonuses, these gains erode when overtime and mandatory rest days are wiped out. The labor agreement strictly mandates eight rest days per month (or four days with a 20% surcharge pay), alongside a 75% premium for Sunday and holiday shifts.
However, enforcing these terms remains difficult. Kokolakis described the local Labor Inspectorate (SEPE) as critically understaffed:
“It is a drop in the ocean. The local Labor Inspectorate is understaffed, and we frequently request assistance from central SEPE units to deploy inspection teams on a regular basis.”
The Traveler’s Protocol
When you travel, you are not just visiting a landscape; you are entering a human ecosystem. The housekeepers, porters, waiters, and groundskeepers are the stewards of your Cretan experience. Here is how to navigate the human element of your stay with the grace and respect it deserves:
- Acknowledge the invisible. The greatest luxury you can offer a hotel worker is visibility. Learn the names of the staff members who service your wing. Look them in the eye, say kalimera, and acknowledge their labor.
- Tip directly and strategically. While front-of-house staff and drivers often receive gratuities, back-of-house staff who maintain the resort’s physical beauty frequently do not. Leave cash tips in the room with a clear note for the housekeeper. Tip the pool attendant who spends hours under the August sun.
- Be the easiest room on the floor. In a season where occupancy is maxed out, a messy, demanding room requires double the time and energy from an exhausted worker. A simple act of basic tidiness before leaving for the day is a profound act of solidarity.
- Vote with your bookings. True luxury cannot be built on exploitation. Seek out hotels that proudly display their ethical labor certifications, and do not be afraid to ask management about their staff welfare programs. The best hotels in Crete treat their people with the same care they treat their guests.
According to Kokolakis, the local Labor Inspectorate remains understaffed, prompting repeated requests for additional inspection teams from the national labor authority.
He also noted that the collective labor agreement introduced salary increases this year and provides for paid rest days and additional compensation for Sunday and holiday work.
However, he argues that those improvements only benefit workers when the agreement is fully respected in practice.
No response from the hotels mentioned in the complaints had been reported at the time of publication.
