From July 1, employers in Greece can offer their employees to work six days a week instead of five. The offer may be interesting for employees: for the sixth working day they will receive a supplement of 40 percent more salary; if they are Sundays and public holidays, it is 115 percent more.
Despite the planned extra payments, unions criticize the law as exploitative, but Labor Minister Adonis Georgiadis is undeterred: “Since there is a major shortage of workers, especially in industry, overtime is worked – and this is often paid illegally” , he argued. during the debate on the law in parliament. However, with the new arrangement, everyone would be entitled to extra paid special assignments and illegal work would come to an end.
Skilled labor shortage after the financial crisis
The shortage of skilled workers in Greece is mainly due to the country’s severe financial crisis from 2010 to 2018. The country was on the brink of bankruptcy at the time and hundreds of thousands of educated young people left to seek their fortunes abroad . To date, Greece has not recovered from this brain drain, even though the economy is improving.
Despite an unemployment rate of currently around eleven percent, the labor shortage affects not only industrial companies and the IT sector, but especially agriculture and tourism.
The new law on the six-day working week, on the other hand, is aimed at companies that have to be operational twelve or 24 hours a day, seven days a week – such as industrial companies, but also telecommunications companies and other service providers. The public sector and state-owned enterprises are also part of the target group.
Across the EU, Greeks work the most hours per week
This once again disproves the myth that Greeks are lazy at work, as spread by numerous international, especially German, media during the financial crisis. According to the statistical authority Eurostat, the Greeks lead the European rankings of weekly working hours with 39.8 hours (Germany: 34 hours). But 48 hours a week should be the maximum.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
