Greece has become the first European Union country to introduce a six-day working week in an acclaimed effort to improve productivity and employment. This new regulation, effective from July 1, extends the traditional 40-hour workweek to 48 hours for private businesses providing round-the-clock services. Workers in the food service and tourism sectors are exempt from this change.
Under this regulation, employees are to work an additional two hours per day or do an extra eight-hour shift. The government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the measure as worker-friendly and deeply growth-orientated. According to him, the reform aims to ensure employees are adequately compensated for overtime and reduce undeclared labour.
Despite this positive spin by the government, labour unions and political analysts have sharply criticised the move. Data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development show Greek employees worked an average of 1,886 hours in 2022, exceeding the U.S. average of 1,811 and the EU average of 1,571. The new legislation, thus, appeared to be a major step back for an already pressured workforce.
“Greek people already work the longest hours per week in Europe. Now they may be forced to work a sixth day, after this Greek [government] decision. It is ridiculous, set against the move to four-day weeks in most civilised countries”, John O’Brennan, professor of EU Law at Maynooth University, Ireland, stated on social media platform X.
The introduction of this six-day workweek notably comes at a time when many global companies are experimenting with shorter workweeks. According to CNBC, a report by the think tank Autonomy earlier this year found that most companies involved in the world’s largest trial of a four-day working week had made the policy permanent. Whether Greece’s new six-day workweek policy will benefit the workforce or worsen existing challenges may become evident soon.
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