In view of an acute shortage of skilled workers, the Greek government is planning a far-reaching labor market reform from July 1. In the future, employees will be given the option of a six-day week. If the sixth working day falls on a Saturday, they will receive a wage supplement of 40 percent, and on Sundays and public holidays they will receive an additional 115 percent.
This measure is intended to help alleviate the labor shortage and improve the economic situation in the country. “The aim is to ensure that industrial companies with rotating shift work and highly specialized personnel in particular do not have to interrupt their processes,” the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (FAZ) quotes the Greek Ministry of Labor as saying.
In addition, illegal work is to be curbed, as some companies have long been making people work longer. “Now this extra work is being brought out of the shadow economy and into the legal economy,” says a spokeswoman for the ministry.
However, the new regulation does not apply to all sectors. Civil servants are expressly exempt from the six-day week. In principle, however, this option is available in both the public and private sectors, particularly in areas such as banking, utilities and agriculture.
Greece already has one of the highest average working hours in Europe, at 2,036 hours per year, compared to 1,386 hours in Germany. According to the OECD, Greeks statistically work more than people in the USA. Trade unions are therefore rejecting the new regulation and are already complaining about “exploitative conditions” caused by the shortage of skilled workers.
Despite the financial incentives, there are critical voices who doubt that the measure represents a long-term solution to the country’s economic problems. Jens Bastian, an expert on Greece, pointed out in the magazine “Business Punk” that high taxes and social security contributions place a heavy burden on both employees and employers. “Due to the low wage growth and high inflation, many are already forced to have two jobs,” said Bastian.
In addition, it remains unclear whether the introduction of the six-day week will actually lead to an increase in total working hours, as the EU Commission continues to stipulate a maximum weekly working time of 48 hours. Therefore, according to the new regulation, a maximum of eight additional hours should be possible, reports “Business Insider”.
