Image source, Getty Images
- author, Michael Race
- role, BBC News Business Reporter
-
Greece has introduced a six-day work week in certain industries to boost economic growth.
A new law that came into effect at the beginning of July allows employees to work up to 48 hours a week instead of 40.
It only applies to businesses that operate 24 hours a day, is voluntary for workers, and employees who work overtime are paid an extra 40 percent.
But the Greek government’s move is at odds with workplace culture in other parts of Europe and the United States, where a four-day work week pattern is becoming more common.
Companies that adopt such policies typically argue that shorter work hours actually increase productivity and employee happiness.
Greece’s six-day work week plan is expected to help eradicate undeclared work that leads to tax evasion, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT News.
The tourism and food industries are not included in this policy.
“At its core, this bill is pro-worker and pro-growth,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, as first reported by The Guardian.
“And it would bring Greece in line with the rest of Europe.”
The BBC has contacted Greece’s Labour Minister, Niki Kerameous, for comment.
The global financial crisis of the late 2000s had a devastating impact on Greece, leaving the country heavily in debt due to a legacy of high public spending and widespread tax evasion.
Mitsotakis is credited with successfully returning Greece’s economy to growth after the crisis forced it into three international bailouts.
However, when it comes to work patterns, Greece appears to be moving in the opposite direction to other countries.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have adopted flexible working models, with many trialing a four-day working week, but employees’ wages have not been reduced.
How many days are you currently working? Would you prefer to work one more day?
