Heavy fines for the unregistered employment: Up to 10,550 euros per worker

The Greek Labor Ministry announced today the heavy fines for employers who have uninsured workers and which will reach up to 10,550 euros per worker.

On the occasion of the presentation of the Ministerial Decree containing the new way of enforcement and the fines for unregistered and uninsured labor, Minister Yiannis Vroutsis said "the lies are over. There is no excuse for anyone. Anyone planning to commit such a crime should think twice about it."

He added that the fines will be "imposed immediately, on the spot and under the auditor’s responsibility as from now on undeclared work will be dealt with the support of information systems of the Ministry, as a directly evidenced violation. We know that the penalties are high, almost crippling. However, the high level of delinquency and the wide extent of the phenomenon has reached the limits of the society’s tolerance."

The fines, as Vroutsis explained, will be stricter at high levels specifically 18 times the minimum wage, i.e. 10,550 euros per undeclared worker. He added that the new system will stop the impunity due either to the discretion of the subjective assessment of the auditor or the dilatory process of exchanging views and memoranda.

"Finally, it is a question of fairness between companies, law-abiding and responsible businessmen and those who exploit the situation. It is a question of unfair competition," deputy Labor minister Vasilis Kegeroglou said.