Even under protests, Greece approves 13-hour working day

Even under protests from workers who were on general strike, the Greek parliament approved, this Thursday (16), a reform that allows working hours of up to 13 hours a day. The proposal was made by the conservative government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The opposition, led by the left-wing Syriza party, classified the project as a “monstrosity” and refused to vote on it. The unions Adedy (in Portuguese, Confederation of Public Employees’ Unions) and GSEE (General Confederation of Greek Workers) promoted several strikes against the project. Before the vote, from Monday (13) to Wednesday (15), workers were on general strike in public services and transport.

The new law, called a “return to the Middle Ages”, in addition to bringing harm to the lives of workers, puts them at risk of dismissal if they do not accept the new conditions, unionists point out.

Proponents of increasing working hours claim that 13 hours of work can only be applied on 37 days of the year and in the private sector, on an optional basis.

For the AFP agency, Adedy representatives indicated that, in practice, the measure means the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalization of super-exploitation. Unionists and the opposition are now seeking to reorganize themselves to try to overturn the measure and avoid other setbacks imposed by the right.

According to the agency Eurostatthe Greeks already have one of the longest working hours in Europe, with an average workload of 39.8 hours per week, which represents 4 hours more than the average of other countries on the continent, of 35.8 hours.