The Ministry of Labour is pushing for changes to the teleworking bill to encompass not only the private sector but also the broader public sector.
This commitment was made today before the House Labour Committee, with the Ministry pledging to submit a revised draft in this direction within the next couple of days.
In previous discussions within the committee, a gap had been identified concerning the broader public sector, according to Phileleftheros. The initial draft of the legislation primarily regulated teleworking in the private sector, while regulations for the Public Service were set to come into effect by early 2025 through a decision by the Council of Ministers.
Following interventions by Members of Parliament, the Ministry expressed its intention to include the broader public sector within the proposed legislation.
This intention was confirmed today by Deputy Director of the Department of Labour Relations, Antonis Apostolou, who stated that discussions have already taken place with the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection and the Legal Service. In this context, he confirmed that, under the new wording being proposed, teleworking regulations will apply to employees in legal entities of public law and local authorities, while these organisations will also have the flexibility to establish their own regulations.
In light of these developments, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Labour, Akel MP Andreas Kafkalias, announced that discussions will continue based on the revised text expected next week, with the participation of social partners. The goal, however, remains to present the legislation to the plenary session of the Parliament in October.
It is worth noting that a fundamental principle of the proposed regulation is that teleworking must be agreed upon mutually between both parties and will be optional.