This month, Greece introduced a limited six-day workweek with the aim of stimulating its economy. From July, certain 24-hour industries in Greece’s can let workers put in up to 48 hours each week instead of the former cap of 40 hours. Any worker who surpasses this number is to get an additional 40% as overtime pay.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that it is “growth-oriented” and could reduce tax evasion from undeclared employment.
A new law allowing some companies to impose a six-day working week came into effect on Monday. It applies to some private sector employees in specific industries and manufacturing sectors that have continuous shifts operating for 24 hours every day of the week with several exceptions. This can only be implemented if there are exceptional circumstances like unanticipated increase in workload.
This measure is part of a broad range of labour law reforms last year, Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has stated that it is “worker-friendly” and “deeply growth-orientated.” “It brings Greece in line with the rest of Europe,” he said.
The aforementioned move was heavily criticize by labor unions since they believe that it undermines workers’ rights. The bill led to protests and heated arguments when passed last year. Critics ask whether increasing Greece’s average working time as EU’s highest will improve productivity or not.
In an open letter to Labour minister Kerameus, Nikos Fotopoulos who is general secretary at Greece’s private sector labor union referr to the government as “the most barbaric, most anti-worker government ever.”
Syriza denounced this change as “a return to working conditions of the 19th century that puts the country to shame.” Moreover, Fotopoulos condemned such comments made by government officials saying “…with this unemployment and poverty we’ve got, which worker would dare say no…to these unchecked employers whom you’ve allowed treating workers like their slaves?”
According to a research institute of Greece’s private sector workers’ union, nearly one in five Greek adults last year were at risk of poverty. This context heightens concerns over the new workweek policy.
The Greek government has played down the consequences of this measure, describing it as an “exceptional measure” that “does not affect in any way the established five-day working week,” according to minister Kerameus.
Greece experienced a sovereign debt crisis following the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 which resulted in austerity measures, higher taxes and bailout loans from the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank. In contrast to trends in other European economies and America where there is movement towards a four-day workweek, Greece’s strategy differs. For example, this year Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders introduced legislation that would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to define a workweek as 32 hours.
As these changes take place in Greece, some argue about whether economic growth should be prioritize over workers’ rights or not.
