Greeks Strike Over Bill Allowing 13-Hour Working Day

Public and private-sector workers, labour federations and unions in Greece went on a 24-hour strike on Tuesday, demanding the withdrawal of a new bill that allows for a 13-hour working day. Protests were also organised in Athens and Thessaloniki, in northern Greece. “Flexible working hours” in practice means “the abolition of the eight-hour workday, the dissolution of every concept of family and social life and legalization of overexploitation”, the Federation of Public Sector Employees, ADEDY, said in a press release. The General Confederation of Greek Workers, GSEE, also expressed opposition to “the further flexibilization of our working conditions”, calling for “the full restoration of a framework of free collective bargaining – the only path toward a fundamental improvement in workers’ employment terms and pay”. Niki Kerameus, the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, told SKAI TV on Tuesday that “the public sector is not affected at all by the bill”, and it was rather “about how we will support workers in the private sector”. Regarding the hotly disputed 13-hour working day, Kerameus said that some workers and businesses want to work longer hours, while noting that it is not going to be mandatory. Kerameus called the expression “13-hour workday” false and misleading. “The expression 13-hour workday implies that we will all work for 13 hours a day, all year round. Is it valid? Can it be done every day? No, is the answer. It can be done up to 37 days a year, i.e. on a pro rata basis of three days a month. Therefore, the term 13 hours is wrong and misleading. Secondly, it requires the agreement of the employee,” she noted. The new bill foresees that if an employee and employer agree, it will now be possible to work up to 13 hours a day, up to 37 days a year. The 13 hours will include eight hours of regular work plus up to four hours of overtime. The maximum limit of 48 hours of work a week, based on a four-month average, remains unchanged, as does the annual overtime limit of 150 hours. If an employee refuses to work overtime, they cannot be fired. Supermarkets and industries are exempted from the bill while the measure mainly serves seasonal needs and businesses that have had difficulty in finding staff. But the GSEE, in a letter to the Labour Ministry sent in September, argues that the bill violates the daily rest rule of 11 hours and endangers the health and safety of workers. It also said that obtaining an employee’s consent for overtime work “may be virtual (due to the inequality of employee – employer) and that the employee’s refusal may lead to unfair consequences (transfers, demotion, etc.).”