Greece applies to a six-day work week and a total of up to 48 hours per week
This Monday the six-day working day came into force in Greece and the maximum number of hours per week increased to 48. The law, approved last autumn by the conservative executive of Kyriakos Mitsotakis, aims to improve productivity, , Attract foreign investment, reduce overtime and combat the underground economy.
the measure, which It should have come into effect last March, Its launch has been delayed by a few months due to the need for companies in the affected sectors to adapt.
The six-day working day applies from this Monday exclusively to companies that have continuous production and a rotating shift system, on the one hand; and on the other hand, companies that present special and unforeseen increases in production. The latter can apply the six-day working day to all or part of their employees, depending on their production needs. As for the tourism and hospitality sectors, which are the main sectors of the country’s economy, they are outside the scope of the law.
Economic Benefits
Employees working on the sixth day will get a 40% increase in their salary. On the other hand, if the sixth day falls on a Sunday or holiday, the employee will get a 40% increase in his salary. You will see a 115% increase in your salary (75% will be included in the 40% increase on the sixth day) which, if it is a night shift, an additional 25% will be applied. On the other hand, the working day will not exceed 8 hours, and overtime is prohibited.
Strong criticism from unions
The solution has been done Strong criticism from professional unions And opposition parties consider it an “outrage” that violates labor rights. “It just doesn’t make any sense. While almost all other civilized countries adopt the four-day week, Greece has decided to follow the opposite path,” said Akis Sotiropoulos, a member of the executive committee of the Greek union ADEDY, during an interview with British newspaper The Guardian. The main opposition party, Syriza, calls for a “return to 19th century working conditions” and has promised to fight to dismantle “the entire anti-worker network imposed by the New Democracy government.”
Greeks are the hardest workers in the EU
Inflation and low salaries in the country are the main reasons that push many Greeks to this There are many jobs. It should be noted that Greeks, together with Poles, are the European workers who work the most hours per week as official data for the 2022 financial year shows: workers aged 20 to 64 in the European Union work an average of 37.5 hours per week, while in Greece it is 41.