Greece is experiencing a 24-hour general strike this Wednesday, October 1, called by the country's main unions in protest against the conservative government's bill seeking to extend the work week to 13 hours . The mobilization, which unites public and private sector workers, is paralyzing much of the transportation network and affecting the operation of essential services throughout the country.
The strike has kept ships moored in ports, disrupted intercity trains, and partially halted the metro, tram, and buses in the capital. Flights are operating normally after a court declared the air traffic controllers' strike illegal. Disruptions are also reported in hospitals, schools, courts, and municipal offices.
Unions denounce the labor reform as a historic setback in labor rights and warn about its effects on employees' health and quality of life. The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the main private sector union, warns that the country's workers already work among the longest annual hours in the European Union and face critical levels of burnout and stress .
The bill promoted by Kyriakos Mitsotakis's government stipulates that the 13-hour work day could only be applied 37 days a year, maintaining the maximum limit of 48 hours per week and 150 hours of overtime per year. The government maintains that the reform represents a modernization adapted to the needs of the labor market and businesses. However, unions and the left-wing opposition assert that the measure deepens precariousness and opens the door to employer abuse.
Since July 2024, the Greek government has authorized sectors such as industry, retail, agriculture, and some services to operate six days a week if required by the employer, with a 40% bonus for the sixth day worked. For unions, the new reform expands this trend toward flexibility, to the detriment of labor rights won in previous decades.
According to data from the European Statistical Office ( Eurostat ), Greek workers log more than 1,886 hours of work per year, well above the European average, yet they have the second lowest purchasing power in the European Union, ahead only of Bulgaria. This contradiction has been highlighted by labor organizations as evidence of the deteriorating living conditions despite the heavy workload.
The marches held this Wednesday in central Athens and other cities across the country demonstrate the widespread social opposition to the reform. With slogans defending the right to rest and health protection, thousands of workers expressed their rejection of a legislation that, in their view, places Greece among the countries with the highest levels of job insecurity in Europe.
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Greece on general strike against proposed 13-hour workday extension
https://www.telesurtv.net/grecia-huelga-laboral-general-contra-gobierno/Greece is experiencing a 24-hour general strike this Wednesday, October 1, called by the country's main unions in protest against the conservative government's bill seeking to extend the work week to 13 hours . The mobilization, which unites public and private sector workers, is paralyzing much of the transportation network and affecting the operation of essential services throughout the country.
The strike has kept ships moored in ports, disrupted intercity trains, and partially halted the metro, tram, and buses in the capital. Flights are operating normally after a court declared the air traffic controllers' strike illegal. Disruptions are also reported in hospitals, schools, courts, and municipal offices.
Unions denounce the labor reform as a historic setback in labor rights and warn about its effects on employees' health and quality of life. The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the main private sector union, warns that the country's workers already work among the longest annual hours in the European Union and face critical levels of burnout and stress .
The bill promoted by Kyriakos Mitsotakis's government stipulates that the 13-hour work day could only be applied 37 days a year, maintaining the maximum limit of 48 hours per week and 150 hours of overtime per year. The government maintains that the reform represents a modernization adapted to the needs of the labor market and businesses. However, unions and the left-wing opposition assert that the measure deepens precariousness and opens the door to employer abuse.
Since July 2024, the Greek government has authorized sectors such as industry, retail, agriculture, and some services to operate six days a week if required by the employer, with a 40% bonus for the sixth day worked. For unions, the new reform expands this trend toward flexibility, to the detriment of labor rights won in previous decades.
According to data from the European Statistical Office ( Eurostat ), Greek workers log more than 1,886 hours of work per year, well above the European average, yet they have the second lowest purchasing power in the European Union, ahead only of Bulgaria. This contradiction has been highlighted by labor organizations as evidence of the deteriorating living conditions despite the heavy workload.
The marches held this Wednesday in central Athens and other cities across the country demonstrate the widespread social opposition to the reform. With slogans defending the right to rest and health protection, thousands of workers expressed their rejection of a legislation that, in their view, places Greece among the countries with the highest levels of job insecurity in Europe.