Six days instead of five of work, starting from July 1st, with a 40% salary increase on the extra day. This is what a proposal from the Greek government provides to stem the labor crisis. However, this is not an obligation but rather a form of incentive: the week can only become “long” if the employers request it.
Who profits from it
On the additional day the worker will receive 40% more than a normal day (a little more if the day in question is a holiday). The provision concerns all sectors except tourism, where the 40-hour week had already been abolished last summer; mainly affected by industry, telecommunications and retail trade.
The measure aims to counter the labor crises that are increasingly affecting the country, which has one of the lowest wage levels on the continent. The long week, according to the Greek government’s intentions, should also combat illegal work. In fact, overtime is often invisible in the pay slip and rewarded in black.
The “Greek” week
According to Eurostat data, Greece is already the European country with the longest working week: one Greek in eight works more than 48 hours a week with an average required effort of 39.4 hours a week.
