GREEK WEEK: Cradle of Western Civilization, Greece Challenges World Trend and Implements a Six-Day Working Week To Boost Employment and Productivity

While in many areas of the so-called ‘civilized world’ (many times societies where the decadence of the Western civilization is more pronounced), governments and businesses are testing a shorter working week of four days, in the southern European country of Greece, the opposite idea is being implemented, with a 48 hour/six-day week coming into force for some businesses.

Rather than dreaming about not working and having an AI robot doing everything for you, the Greeks rolled up their sleeves and got to work more.

The controversial six-day working week is presented as an attempt to boost productivity and employment.

The regulation came into force on Monday (1).

CNBC reported:

“Under the new legislation, which was passed as part of a broader set of labor laws last year, employees of private businesses that provide round-the-clock services will reportedly have the option of working an additional two hours per day or an extra eight-hour shift.

The change means a traditional 40-hour workweek could be extended to 48 hours per week for some businesses. Food service and tourism workers are not included in the six-day working week initiative.”

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the measure as ‘worker-friendly’ and ‘growth-orientated’.

It would support employees that are not being sufficiently compensated for overtime and help rid the Greek economy of the problem of undeclared labor.

As one would expect, Labor unions have sharply criticized the move.

“Workers in Greece work more than those in the U.S., Japan and others in the 27-member EU, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Greek employees were found to have worked an average of 1,886 hours in 2022, more than the U.S. average of 1,811 and the EU average of 1,571.”

This new regulation goes against the trend to move to a four day week in many western countries, and is seen as an unorthodox step aimed at turbo-charging productivity.

The Guardian reported:

“Under the extended working week, staff in select industries and manufacturing facilities will have the option of working an additional two hours a day or an extra eight-hour shift, rewarded with a top-up fee of 40% added to the daily wage.

[…] ‘The nucleus of this legislation is worker-friendly, it is deeply growth-oriented’, Mitsotakis said before the Greek parliament endorsed the law. ‘And it brings Greece in line with the rest of Europe’.”

Opponents say the reform ‘erodes legal protections’ and chips away at workers’ rights in the name of flexibility.

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