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As multiple European countries experiment with a four-day work week, Greece has gone in a different direction.
A measure there went into effect Monday that introduces a six-day work week for some private businesses as the country tries to continue its economic recovery.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a business-friendly center-right leader, said the country needs a longer work week as it faces a dearth of skilled workers and an aging, shrinking population, The Guardian reported.
“The nucleus of this legislation is worker-friendly, it is deeply growth-oriented,” Mitsotakis said of the effort. “And it brings Greece in line with the rest of Europe.”
The plan applies to private businesses that provide 24-hour services and some retail and agricultural workers. For some businesses in industry and manufacturing, workers can choose between adding hours to their workdays or working an extra shift, The Guardian said.
Employees who work the extra eight hours will receive 40% bump in pay during that time, and a 115% bump if the added hours fall on a holiday.
The proposal has faced fierce backlash from unions in Greece, who say its an erosion of workers’ rights.
Aris Kazakos, professor emeritus of labor law in Thessaloniki, told DW that it will “kill the five-day work week for good.”
“When it comes to individual negotiations, the employer holds absolutely all the cards and can dictate practically any conditions he wishes, with the exception of the minimum rights stipulated in labor law,” Kazakos said.
Akis Sotiropoulos, an executive committee member of a civil servants’ union in Greece, told The Guardian the law “makes no sense whatsoever.
“When almost every other civilized country is enacting a four-day week, Greece decides to go the other way,” Sotiropoulos said, saying workers are more productive when they have a better quality of life and work fewer hours, not more.
Greece’s economy is finally rebounding after long suffering an economic crisis and is projected to see 3% growth in 2024, but the southern European country has a long road ahead. Unemployment remains above 10% and Greeks have an average monthly salary of 1,175 euros, which is 20% lower than it was 15 years ago, Reuters reported.