On March 16, 2024, a church in the Anafiotika neighborhood of Athens, Greece, which is part of the old town of Plaka.
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Greece controversially implemented a six-day working week for some businesses in a bid to boost productivity and employment in the southern European country.
The rule, which takes effect on July 1, goes against a global trend of companies exploring shorter working weeks.
Under the new legislation, which was passed as part of wider labor laws last yearprivate company employees providing round-the-clock service will It is said Option to work an additional two hours per day or an additional eight hour shift.
The change means the traditional 40-hour work week can be extended to 48 hours per week for some businesses. Food service and tourism workers are not included in the six-day work week plan.
Pro-business government led by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis explain The measure is both “pro-worker” and “deeply growth-oriented.” It is designed to support employees who do not receive adequate overtime compensation and to help blow On the issue of undeclared labor.
Unions and political observers harshly criticized the move.
A spokesman for the Greek Embassy in London had no immediate comment when contacted by CNBC.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks to the media during a European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, June 27, 2024.
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Giorgos Katsambekis, Lecturer in European and International Politics, Loughborough University, UK describe The labor laws introduced by the Greek government are a “major setback” for a workforce that already works the longest hours in the European Union.
According to statistics, Greek workers work more than the United States, Japan and other countries among the 27 member states of the European Union. data From the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
In 2022, Greek employees worked an average of 1,886 hours, higher than the U.S. average of 1,811 hours and the EU average of 1,571 hours.
John O’Brennan, professor of EU law at Maynooth University in Ireland, said: “Greeks already have the longest working week in Europe. After the Greek (government) made this decision, now they May be forced to work for the sixth day. explain Monday via social media platform X.
He added: “This is ridiculous compared to the four-day work week practiced in most civilized countries.”
A Report A report released earlier this year by think tank Autonomy found that most companies involved in the world’s largest trial of the four-day working week have made the policy permanent.
Consulting project managers and CEOs at all companies participating in the trial said the four-day work week had had a positive impact on their organizations, with more than half describing the impact as “very positive”.
However, the report found there were some concerns among employees at companies where guarantees of extra days off were weak or conditional on meeting certain targets.
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