Greece implements 6-day work week for some sectors

In a surprising and controversial decision, Greece deviated from the global trend of shorter working weeks. Instead he opted for a six-day, 48-hour total work week.. this solution, which came into effect from last Mondayhas generated both support and opposition nationally and internationally.

According to officials, the measurement took six working days This will only apply to private companies that operate 24 hours a day. Employees in certain areas They can choose to work two extra hours each day or an additional eight-hour shift.Others must comply with six working days.

Besides, The pay hike for the additional hours will be 40%.And if the sixth day of work is a Sunday or a holiday, the employees will get an additional 115% of the daily wage.

pro-business government of Kyriakos MitsotakisThe Greek Prime Minister defended the initiative as a necessary response to a number of critical challenges, such as population decline and a shortage of skilled workers. Mitsotakis calls demographic situation a “ticking time bomb” for the countryAccording to Guardian,

According to the executive, this measure covers an “exceptional situation”, since in specific periods there is a shortage of supply of specialized workers in certain sectors that has to be covered in some way.

Migration of young and educated workersAround 500,000 people are estimated to have left the country since the debt crisis began in 2009, The labor shortage has increased.

Although the law is intended to only apply in “exceptional periods” of increased workload, critics fear that given the history of few labour inspections in Greece, the measure will become the norm.

The present Labour Minister, Adonis GeorgiadisDefended the law. He argued that he wanted to establish “order” in a labor market that he described as a “jungle”.Where labour exploitation and undeclared overtime are common, according to the agency EFE,

According to Georgiadis, this measure is a response to “Shortage of supply of specialized workers in some sectorsThis needs to be addressed somehow.

The response from the unions has been overwhelming. Akis Sotiropoulos, executive committee member of the Civil Servants Union ADDstrongly criticized the new measure. He said, “It makes no sense.” Guardian“When almost all civilised countries are implementing a four-day working week, Greece has decided to do the opposite,” he said.

Critics argue that the reform erodes basic labour rights and gives excessive power to employers, who would be able to impose a sixth day of work. Sotiropoulos concluded: “More productivity leads to better working conditions, better quality of life and we now know that it is about fewer hours, not more.”

For his part, retired teachers’ union leader Grigoris Kalomoiris Pesecalso criticized the measure. In statements taken by Guardian He said: “You know that most Greeks, with an average monthly salary of 900 euros, can only survive until the 20th of each month.”

He added: “This latest barbaric measure is not going to solve the fundamental problem of labour shortages and many of us believe it is deeply unfair to young unemployed Greeks who will never have a job.”

There has been a global trend in many countries to reduce working hours to increase productivity And the quality of life of employees will improve.

In 2022, Belgium passed a law allowing employees to spread their workweek over four days instead of five. And countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Iceland, Japan, South Africa, Finland, Canada and New Zealand have experimented with similar programs.