Greece introduces ‘growth-oriented’ six-day work week

Companies in countries around the world may be toying with the idea of ​​implementing shorter work weeks, but in Greece workers have been told that, from now on, they can do a sixth working day in an unorthodox step aimed at increasing turbo productivity.

After outpacing other Europeans in terms of economic growth, the country once at the heart of the continent’s worst financial crisis has again bucked the trend, introducing a 48-hour work week. The measure, described as “barbaric” by unions, comes into effect on Monday.

“This makes no sense,” said Akis Sotiropoulos, a member of the executive committee of the Adedy civil servants union. “When almost every other civilized country is adopting a four-day week, Greece decides to go the other way.”

The pro-business government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says the initiative was necessitated by the twin dangers of a shrinking population and a shortage of skilled workers. Before announcing the legislation — part of a broader set of labor laws passed last year — Mitsotakis described the projected demographic shift as a “ticking time bomb.” In an unprecedented exodus, some 500,000 Greeks, mostly educated young people, are estimated to have emigrated since the nearly decade-long debt crisis that erupted in late 2009.

The six-day scheme, officials say, will only apply to private businesses that offer round-the-clock services. During the extended work week, staff in selected industries and manufacturing facilities will have the option of working an extra two hours a day or an extra eight-hour shift, being rewarded with a 40% surcharge on top of the daily wage.

Either election, the centre-right government claims, will resolve the issue of workers not being paid for overtime, while also tackling the widespread problem of undeclared work.

“The core of this legislation is worker-friendly, it is deeply growth-oriented,” Mitsotakis said before the Greek parliament approved the law. “And it brings Greece into line with the rest of Europe.”

But the reaction has been harsh. In a country with almost no tradition of workplace inspections, critics claim the reform ultimately sounds the death knell of the five-day work week, not least because it allows employers to dictate whether a sixth work day is required. .

For opponents, who have already taken to the streets in protest, the reform erodes legal protections and undoes long-established workers’ rights in the name of flexibility.

“In reality this has been enacted by a government ideologically committed to generating ever greater returns for capital,” Sotiropoulos said. “Better productivity comes with better working conditions, a better quality of life [for employees] and this, we now know, is about less hours and not more.â€

The move, he said, was made possible in part because unions had also seen their power weakened as a result of debt-ridden Athens enacting austerity measures in exchange for bailout funds during the country’s financial crisis. Unions have long argued that overtime allows employers to prevent hiring more staff.

Repeatedly tested four-day weekly programs have shown increased levels of productivity with researchers attributing the result to improved levels of focus. Belgium in 2022 passed legislation to give workers the legal right to spread their working week over four days instead of five, and pilot schemes have been carried out in countries including the UK, Germany, Japan, Africa South and Canada.

Greeks already work the longest hours in Europe, working an average of 41 hours a week according to the EU’s statistics agency Eurostat, although surveys have also shown they are paid far less. The left-wing opposition has often condemned “Bulgarian wages in a country with British prices”, claiming the phenomenon has only worsened the brain drain.

Pensioners, who are also encouraged to work under the legislation, have weighed in on the debate.

“What the government is basically saying is ‘go and work longer, we will turn a blind eye even if you are retired,'” said Grigoris Kalomoiris, who heads the retired teachers’ union (Pesek).

“She knows that most Greeks, with an average monthly salary of €900, can only survive until the 20th of the month. This latest barbaric measure will not solve the fundamental problem of the labor shortage and many of us feel that it is very unfair to the unemployed young Greeks who may never get a job.â€