[Greece] Required six-day 48-hour workweek begins

In Greece, people work more hours than anyone in the 27-member European Union or the US and now, under new legislation, many workers in Greece’s private sector will have a six-day 48-hour workweek, The National Herald reports.

The legislation, introduced by the New Democracy government, will not include Members of Parliament, parliamentary workers or those in the public sector as collective bargaining agreements remain frozen.

Reviewing the change, Deutsche Welle (DW) - Germany’s state broadcaster - reportedly said that while the 40-hour work week is still officially in place employers can require staff to work up to two unpaid hours per day for a limited period in return for more free time.

“In theory, this additional work is voluntary. In reality, however, workers in many businesses and workplaces are forced to work longer hours without receiving any form of compensation,” DW said.

According to its reporting, inspectors rarely check to ensure labour laws are being observed and that doing so “is not a priority for the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.”

A recent survey by Eurostat - the EU’s statistics agency - reportedly revealed that Greeks have a 41 hour workweek, on average yet are among the lowest-paid and highest-taxed in the union, while the country’s rich quietly stash their money in foreign accounts.

The government has raised the minimum wage twice since it was frozen during the 2010-18 economic and austerity crisis which led to the country receiving €326 billion in three international bailouts.

However, minimum monthly pay remains at just €830 and barely covers rapidly climbing rents, food prices and other living costs. Greece reportedly ranked 15th in the EU for its cost of living and was second to last in purchasing power.

The legislation will see many workers in industry, retail, agriculture and some service sectors working a six-day work week if their employers require it. Though they will allegedly be paid a 40 per cent overtime bonus for the sixth day.

The change will not affect tourism nor the hospital sector because the five-day work week had already been abolished for those sectors in 2023 amid a government drive to attract tourists year round.

The official reason for the introduction of the six-day workweek is reportedly a shortage of skilled workers in the Greek labour market as a result of the shrinking population and the thousands of workers who left the country during the economic and austerity crisis in search of work.

Greece’s longer workweek comes at a time when unions in other EU countries are seeking shorter hours and Germany - the bloc’s biggest economy - cutting its working week to 35 hours.

Source: The National Herald

(Quotes via original reporting)

In Greece, people work more hours than anyone in the 27-member European Union or the US and now, under new legislation, many workers in Greece’s private sector will have a six-day 48-hour workweek, The National Herald reports.

The legislation, introduced by the New Democracy government, will not include Members of Parliament, parliamentary workers or those in the public sector as collective bargaining agreements remain frozen.

Reviewing the change, Deutsche Welle (DW) - Germany’s state broadcaster - reportedly said that while the 40-hour work week is still officially in place employers can require staff to work up to two unpaid hours per day for a limited period in return for more free time.

“In theory, this additional work is voluntary. In reality, however, workers in many businesses and workplaces are forced to work longer hours without receiving any form of compensation,” DW said.

According to its reporting, inspectors rarely check to ensure labour laws are being observed and that doing so “is not a priority for the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.”

A recent survey by Eurostat - the EU’s statistics agency - reportedly revealed that Greeks have a 41 hour workweek, on average yet are among the lowest-paid and highest-taxed in the union, while the country’s rich quietly stash their money in foreign accounts.

The government has raised the minimum wage twice since it was frozen during the 2010-18 economic and austerity crisis which led to the country receiving €326 billion in three international bailouts.

However, minimum monthly pay remains at just €830 and barely covers rapidly climbing rents, food prices and other living costs. Greece reportedly ranked 15th in the EU for its cost of living and was second to last in purchasing power.

The legislation will see many workers in industry, retail, agriculture and some service sectors working a six-day work week if their employers require it. Though they will allegedly be paid a 40 per cent overtime bonus for the sixth day.

The change will not affect tourism nor the hospital sector because the five-day work week had already been abolished for those sectors in 2023 amid a government drive to attract tourists year round.

The official reason for the introduction of the six-day workweek is reportedly a shortage of skilled workers in the Greek labour market as a result of the shrinking population and the thousands of workers who left the country during the economic and austerity crisis in search of work.

Greece’s longer workweek comes at a time when unions in other EU countries are seeking shorter hours and Germany - the bloc’s biggest economy - cutting its working week to 35 hours.

Source: The National Herald

(Quotes via original reporting)