When dismissal arrives, stay calm and gather the papers first

Dismissal is one of the most charged moments in a person's working life. At that moment, panic and rushed signatures do not help. What matters is to keep the practical picture clear: what was communicated to you, what was paid, which documents are missing and which deadlines may already have started to run.

An employee should not treat dismissal as a simple announcement. It is a legal act with consequences for wages, severance pay, social insurance, unemployment benefit and possible judicial protection. This article is an informative first guide and does not replace personalised legal advice, especially when deadlines or special circumstances exist.

The first steps on the same day

If you were told that you are being dismissed, keep notes while the facts are still fresh. Write down the date, the time, who spoke to you, what exactly was said, whether there were witnesses and which documents were given to you. If everything happened orally, do not assume that the matter is closed. Ask for written information and a copy of the termination of the employment contract.

  • Ask for a copy of the termination notice and check the date.
  • Check whether severance pay was paid and by what method.
  • Ask for a detailed statement covering salary, leave, leave allowance, holiday bonuses, overtime or any other amounts owed.
  • Do not sign a resignation or settlement receipt if you do not fully understand what it means.
  • Keep copies of the contract, payslips, insurance records, schedules, messages and work emails.

When the validity of the termination must be checked

In an open-ended employment contract, termination by the employer must be treated as a formal process and not as a simple oral order. The central points to check are written notification, lawful severance pay where it is due and proper insurance coverage for the employee. The Labour Inspectorate also states that severance pay is paid at the same time as termination, except for regular termination with notice, where payment is made at the end of the notice period.

If notice was given, the employer may owe reduced severance compared with immediate dismissal, but the notice must have been given in time and in writing. If there was no notice, the employment relationship ends immediately and the check focuses mainly on payment of lawful severance and any other accrued amounts.

Severance pay, wages and other amounts owed

Severance pay does not exhaust all employee rights. Even when severance has been paid, wages, untaken leave, leave allowance, holiday bonuses, additional work, overtime, premiums for night or Sunday work and any agreed benefit must still be reviewed. Many disputes do not appear on the first dismissal paper but in the real payroll picture.

For an employee with a short period of service, especially during the first twelve months, there may be no right to severance pay unless something more favourable has been agreed. That does not mean that the right to accrued wages or other lawful claims is lost.

Cases that require immediate attention

Some dismissals need quick legal review because they may be linked to a prohibited reason or retaliatory conduct. Such cases may exist when dismissal is connected with pregnancy or maternity, the exercise of a lawful right, a complaint about harassment or violence at work, trade union activity, or discrimination based on sex, age, disability, religion or another protected characteristic.

Care is also needed when the employee is pressured to sign a voluntary departure while in reality being pushed out. Resignation and dismissal have different consequences. If a resignation is signed without reflecting the truth, it may later make proof of the real events more difficult.

Deadlines that must not be missed

In dismissal matters, time matters. The Labour Inspectorate notes that a lawsuit challenging the validity of a termination is inadmissible if it is not served within three months from dismissal, while a lawsuit for payment or completion of severance is inadmissible if it is not served within six months from the date the severance became due. These deadlines should not be treated casually.

For that reason, when there is doubt about the validity of the dismissal or the amount of severance, the correct move is immediate collection of documents and contact with a lawyer or competent authority. Waiting can make an otherwise strong case much more difficult.

What the employee can do in practice

  1. Collect evidence. Keep the contract, payslips, termination notice, any ERGANI notifications, bank payments, messages, schedules and every item that shows what really happened.
  2. Ask for a clear account. Do not rely on general assurances. Ask for a written breakdown of all amounts paid or still pending.
  3. Check whether this is dismissal or resignation. If you are asked to sign a voluntary departure when you do not want to resign, stop and ask for advice.
  4. Do not sign a general release without review. A sentence saying that you have no further claim may create difficulties later.
  5. Move quickly. If there is an issue of invalidity, discrimination, non-payment of severance or unpaid wages, do not let weeks pass without action.

When the Labour Inspectorate can help

The Labour Inspectorate is a key first point of recourse for violations of labour legislation. An employee may submit a named complaint through gov.gr, while anonymous complaints also exist for some cases. A named complaint is usually more suitable when a specific personal matter needs investigation, such as unpaid amounts, non-payment of severance or an employment dispute.

A complaint does not always replace court protection and does not automatically stop all deadlines. It can, however, help record the problem, support mediation or trigger review of employer conduct.

DYPA and unemployment benefit

After dismissal, the employee must also look immediately at unemployment. Registration in the unemployment register and the application for regular unemployment benefit are done electronically when the conditions are met. The National Registry of Administrative Procedures states that regular benefit concerns insured persons whose dependent employment ended or was terminated by the employer and who have paid unemployment insurance contributions.

In practice, do not leave the application for later. Check whether an unemployment card has been issued, which supporting documents are required and which KPA2 office is competent, especially if your residence has changed or your last employment was in another area.

Examples of common mistakes

They simply told me not to come back. Ask for a written position. Do not decide on your own that you resigned and do not abandon work without a clear picture.

They gave me a paper to sign quickly. Read it. If it contains resignation, settlement or waiver of claims, ask for time and advice.

They paid me something, so it is probably correct. The amount must be checked against length of service, regular earnings, type of termination and other amounts owed.

I did not have insurance stamps for the whole period. This is not only an accounting issue. It affects severance, unemployment, insurance and proof of the employment relationship.

Conclusion

The right reaction to dismissal is not conflict without evidence, but immediate organisation. Documents, dates, payments, insurance data and deadlines are the employee's first tools. When something does not fit, the case must be checked quickly, practically and without rushed signatures.

Useful official sources