Athens introduces 13-hour working day: who benefits?
The Greek Parliament last week passed a new labour law which allows 13-hour workdays in certain cases. The extra-long shifts are permitted on no more than 37 days per year and per employee. The legislation has provoked large protests in several cities across Greece. The national press examines the motives behind the initiative.
Easier for businesses, not employees
It's all about promoting the interests of employers, says Protagon:
“Everyone knows that this is Greece, and that the relationship between employers and employees is unequal. In this sense, the Ministry of Labour's attempts to present the new law as an effort to combine employee protection with the facilitation of business will not be very convincing to those who have reservations. ... The truth is that protecting employees and facilitating business are in fact contradictory concepts. And in any case, the wording also reveals who really benefits from the new bill - or would have every reason to be satisfied with its coming into force. Clearly, those whose activities are 'facilitated'.”
Illegal employment is the biggest problem
News247 points out:
“The problem is not the legal framework, which allows 13 hours of work on three days a month provided the employee gives their consent and receives a 40-percent pay rise. The problem lies in the broader working environment, which can often develop into slave-like conditions, with unpaid overtime and Christmas, Easter and holiday bonuses that revert to the employer under the table. ... And above all, undeclared work, which mainly poses a problem for legally employed workers, who face unfair competition in terms of labour costs and receive lower wages due to increased social security contributions. Yet there is another factor that is perhaps even more detrimental: the tacit acceptance of exploitation.”
Productivity leaves much to be desired
That people are working too few hours is not the problem at all, newssite In explains:
“As much as they try to portray Greece as a country that is going uphill rather than downhill, the reality is that we work the highest number of hours in the EU yet according to Eurostat we are second from last in terms of purchasing power. And although we work more than everyone else, the productivity per hour ratio in Greece was the lowest in the EU. This shows that it is not the working hours that are to blame, but the way the work is done.”