When and where the measure can be applied, why it was decided… Reactions from citizens, who point out that the working day is being reduced in Europe
The new labor framework, which has come into force this July 1 from 2024, allows more Greek businessmen access the six-day workday for its employees.
The law stipulates that companies that operate continuously, (provide services 24 hours a day, seven days a week)or those who allege an excessive workloadsomething that they will have to demonstrate to the Labor Inspection in case an audit is carried out, they can ask their employees to work six days a week.
Measure It does not apply to tourism or hospitality, where they already work six days with special conditions. A food service worker explains that “The first thing is the needs of each person, but also what strength they have to work six days. We know that in Europe 36-hour days, or less, are being contemplated. We are going back 50 years, until the six-day journey. I’m totally against it, but if your employer says “this is it, and nothing more”, you can’t do anything about it. This is Greece.”
If the six-day workday is accepted, the worker will be paid 40% more for the sixth day of work. If this day is Sunday or festivethe increase will reach 115%. “I wouldn’t do it. I think it’s a mistake to take that approach. The World Health Organization tells us that 40 hours of work a week is already too much. We see that the workload is decreasing in some countries in Europe. For me, the six-day working week is unacceptable, and we must not allow it to be imposed under any circumstances,” another person explains to ‘Euronews’.
The goal of the Ministry of Labor is to support companies that have difficulty finding staff for rotating shifts. The objective of the Greek Government is, also, fight against undeclared worksince many employees were already working six days without this being recorded in the ERGANI system.
As most economists point out, the biggest problem with the Greek economy is not the total hours worked by workers, but the productivity of that work. “We are going back to the times of previous decades. They have nothing to offer. This measure will not solve the problem of companies that do not have enough staff. I do not agree with the measure, and in no way will I agree to work like this. Furthermore, I have already changed sectors to better reconcile work and family life,” Greek workers complain.
According to data from the European Commission, the productivity nominal labor per hour worked in Greece is approximately 40% lower than the European average. Several factors contribute to this: the lack of investment, especially in new technologies, a workforce without the necessary qualifications and a high level of bureaucracy that hinders the entrepreneurial spirit.
Eurostat figures for 2023 show that the workweek average in Greece is 39.8 hours, the highest in the European Union, followed by the working hours of Poland and Cyprus. The European average It is 36,1 hours per week, while Netherlands They have the shortest working hours, con 32,2 weekly hours.
