The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) is calling for a nationwide strike and May Day rallies, with the slogan “Labour Day is not a holiday, it’s a strike.” The GSEE rally will take place together with the Athens Labor Center at 11:00 am on Thursday, May 1st, in Klavdiou Square.

In this context, supermarkets will remain closed.

What Applies to Employees
May 1st is a non-essential holiday. However, according to the decision of the Minister of Labor, every year it is designated as a mandatory holiday, based on Article 1 of Law 380/68. For this year, May 1st 2025, which coincides with a working day (Thursday), was designated as a mandatory holiday by Ministerial Decision (Government Gazette B 928, 14/4/2025).

Specifically:

• The employment of employees and the operation of businesses are prohibited, except for those that operate lawfully on Sundays and holidays, such as health services, tourism, transportation, and continuous operation factories, etc.
• For employees who are paid by the hour and do not work on May 1st, they are entitled to receive their regular hourly wage without any surcharge.
• For employees who are paid by the hour and work on May 1st, they will receive their usual hourly wage and a 75% surcharge, calculated on their normal hourly wage for the hours worked.
• In the case of employees who receive a monthly salary and their workplace operates on Sundays and holidays, they will only receive a 75% surcharge (based on their normal hourly wage) for the hours worked. However, if their workplace operates exceptionally on May 1st, they will receive in addition to the 75% surcharge (based on their normal hourly wage) and as many hourly wages as they worked, calculated based on their regular salary.