Mass strike in Greece – second only this week. The reason for the dissatisfaction is a project for changes in the labor legislation, which will eliminate the 8-hour working day. And while the government believes the law will protect employees’ rights, unions are adamant that it opens the door to slavery in the 21st century.
With shouts of “only clocks work around the clock” and “not medieval laws, down with the hands of the 8-hour workday,” opposition parties and union members have spoken out against ideas for labor law reform.
The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis plans to introduce flexible working hours and regulate telework. According to the government, the current regulations are obsolete, and the new ones would allow employees to work more on certain days and weeks and rest more on others.
Protesters fear that this will allow dishonest employers to abuse their employees by forcing them to work overtime as well as firing workers more easily.
“We want to save the 8-hour working day! The working class has fought for it for centuries, shed blood and made huge sacrifices. None of us believe the government’s lies that their goal is to protect workers’ rights,” he said. said George Stefanakis, an employee of a courier company.
“This law will affect teleworkers – thousands of people in Greece work from home and no one is watching how long their working day lasts, whether they stay up late at night or on weekends,” said Nikos Behlos, a private sector employee.
More than 7,000 people protested in Athens alone. The strike involved private and public sector employees, retirees and students. The protest also affected transport – some of the ferries did not depart, and flights were canceled due to a strike by air traffic controllers. Public transport and state railways stopped working.
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