Greece argues that the new six-day workweek law is a "exceptional measure" and defends it
• A new regulation that would require certain employees to work six days a week has been defended by Greece.
• The administration of the nation declared that it would be a "exceptional measure" that would only be used in "specific circumstances."
• Regarding the new regulation, policy experts, labor unions, and employees have reacted negatively to Greece.
In defense of its new six-day workweek policy, the Greek government claims that it is a "exceptional measure" that will only be used in "specific circumstances.
"Early in July, Greece implemented new legislation that allows workers in some establishments to choose between working an additional two hours per day or adding an additional eight-hour shift to their schedule. This means that instead of working 40 hours a week, employees might work 48. The tourist and food services industries are not covered by the policy.Social media users became incensed about the regulation as labor unions and political analysts criticized it for being made.
Thousands of people demonstrated against the new laws when the policy package that included the measure was first unveiled in September of last year.
Social media users became incensed about the regulation as organized labor and political analysts criticized it for being made. Thousands of people demonstrated against the new policies when the policy package that included the measure was first unveiled in September of last year.Concerns concerning the policy's potential application to other industries and companies, as well as the possibility of unfair compensation and overwork for employees, have been voiced by several detractors.
"It only offers the option of an extra working day as an extraordinary measure under specific circumstances."
According to Kerameus, the legislation only applies to two categories of businesses: those that run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with rotating shifts, and those that run 24 hours a day, five or six days a week, likewise with rotating shifts.
According to Kerameus, "the additional working day option is permissible only in the case of an increased workload," which is especially true for enterprises that are not open every day.The minister stated that new rules will shield workers from having their job improperly officially declared, allowing them to get just compensation. She continued, saying that employees might see an increase in pay as a result of the longer hours.
She said, "More measures to ensure the protection of workers are stipulated by law, such as guaranteed days off, specific working hours, and safeguards against unfair dismissal.”
According to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, workers in Greece put in more hours on average in 2022 than their counterparts in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. Compared to the EU norm, Greek workers put in more than 300 extra hours annually on average.
According to Kerameus, numerous other nations have laws and regulations in place that resemble Greece's recently implemented policies.
"The majority of European nations have comparable policies in place for extraordinary extra workdays. Thus, Greece is not acting in a different manner," she stated.