Bill increasing maximum working hours to 13 hours passed
The Greek Parliament has passed a bill allowing the private sector to increase daily working hours from the current 8 hours to up to 13 hours. The Greek government argues that the change will make the labor market more flexible and efficient.
İHA
The change, which will lead to longer shifts for many private sector employees ranging from factory workers to cashiers and hotel staff, will make Greece the first EU member state to implement working hours of up to 13 hours per day.
The change, which will be a voluntary system and only affect the private sector, can be applied for a maximum of three days per month and 37 working days per year. The law approved by Parliament will also protect employees against dismissal if they refuse to work overtime.
The law, which will also grant employers more flexibility in short-term hiring and allow employees to work four days a week throughout the year by agreement with their employers, was passed by a majority vote in the 300-seat parliament.
48-HOUR WEEKLY LIMIT WILL NOT BE EXCEEDED
Under the new practice, working hours will not exceed the 48-hour weekly limit in accordance with EU regulations. While the 40-hour work week remains the standard, overtime will be paid at a 40 percent higher rate. The new practice is expected to contribute to solving the shortage of skilled workers caused by Greece's shrinking and aging population.
THE LAW HAD CAUSED TWO STRIKES
Unions argue that the law in question strips workers of their bargaining power in a country where informal employment is widespread and average wages are low. The change allowing the private sector to extend working hours had led to protests and two major strikes across the country this month.
Greece is among the countries with the longest working hours in Europe, with an average weekly working time of approximately 40 hours. Weekly working hours average 34 in Germany and 32 in the Netherlands. In order to achieve economic growth, Greece had also introduced a six-day work week for certain sectors last year.
While Greece has been recovering from the debt crisis between 2009 and 2018 with years of austerity policies, the improvement seen in recent years has not been enough to bring salaries back to pre-crisis levels. According to Eurostat data, the purchasing power of the Greek people is among the lowest in the European Union.