Though the idea of shorter working weeks is becoming increasingly popular amongst global businesses, Greek firms have been directed to adopt a different approach. In an unconventional bid to boost productivity, employees have been asked to work an additional sixth day. This diverges from the prevailing trend in Europe, particularly after Greece demonstrated superior economic growth. From Monday, Greece pioneers a 48-hour workweek, a move that has been heavily criticised by unions as inhumane.
Akis Sotiropoulos, a board member of the civil servants’ union Adedy, expressed disturbance with this decision. He pointed out the seeming irony of Greece’s action in contrast to the path taken by most developed nations to a four-day workweek. The policy change was necessitated due to Greece’s decreasing population and the lack of professional workers, argues the commercial-oriented government of the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Prior to the law’s announcement, which is one among numerous labour laws passed in the last year, Mitsotakis voiced his concerns about the dynamic demographic change as a potential crisis. A mass exodus of over 500,000 well-educated young Greeks since the eruption of the financial crisis in late 2009 confirms this daunting scenario.
According to officials, the six-day work schedule will be implemented only within specific private sector businesses offering continuous services. Employees within select industries and production facilities may opt for an additional two hours each day or one extra eight-hour shift, incentivized through a 40 per cent daily wage increase. The conservative government believes this move addresses employees’ unpaid overtime and also combats the issue of undocumented labour.
This law primarily favours the workers and aims to spur growth, says Mitsotakis, arguing that it aligns Greece with other European nations. But the response has been largely negative. Critics highlight Greece’s lack of a work inspection tradition and argue the reform instigates the end of the traditional five-day work week since it offers employers the freedom to decide if a sixth working day is essential.
Critics who have already initiated street demonstrations argue that the proposed reform diminishes legal safeguards and undermines historically existing workforce entitlements under the guise of adaptability. Sotiropoulos noted, “This has in fact been authorised by a regime dedicated to creating larger profits for capital.” He argued that improved work conditions lead to better productivity, and this is linked to fewer working hours instead of more.
The power of trade unions has declined due to the country’s financial crisis and austerity measures imposed by debt-burdened Athens in exchange for bailout funds, according to Sotiropoulos. This development contributed to the passage of the proposal. Unions have consistently asserted that overtime allows employers to avoid employing more people.
Studies of experimental four-day work week programmes have consistently revealed increased productivity rates. Researchers believe that improved focus accounts for these results. In 2022, Belgium legalised the right of employees to work a four-day week as opposed to five. Pilot projects have been conducted in the UK, Germany, Japan, South Africa, and Canada amongst others.
Greeks currently form the European workforce that puts in the most hours per week, with an average of 41 hours according to Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency. However, studies have also shown that they earn considerably less. The left-leaning opposition has often criticised the situation as “Bulgarian wages in a country with British costs”, arguing that it has only served to intensify the brain drain.
Retirees, who have also been urged to work under the new law, have joined the conversation. Grigoris Kalomoiris, leader of the Pesek retired teachers’ union, stated, “The government is essentially directing individuals to work longer, with an implied leniency towards pensioners”. He claimed that this harsh new measure will not address the core issue of labor shortages. Many feel this to be profoundly unjust towards unemployed young Greeks who may never secure employment.