The Greek Parliament approved a labor reform, promoted by the conservative government led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his New Democracy party, which imposes, among other measures, days of up to 13 hours of work, weeks of six working days and voluntarily opting for a second job. with a maximum of five hours a day.
The reform obtained the support of 158 deputies, out of 300 in total, mainly from the party led by Mitsotakis, while the opposition, from the extreme right to the radical left, voted against.
The amendment also introduces a contract for on-call employees
which in reality means that workers will not have a fixed schedule, but will work when the employer requires it, as long as there is prior notice of at least 24 hours.
On the other hand, the law prohibits strikers from preventing a colleague from going to work during a strike.
In addition, an employee may be dismissed in the first year of employment without prior notice or remuneration, unless otherwise agreed. It allows a trial period of up to six months and requires employers to provide detailed working conditions.
During an intervention in Parliament prior to the vote, the Minister of Labor, Adonis Georgiadis, defended his bill and assured that neither eliminates the eight-hour day nor the five-day (week)
. He also argued that the purpose of the law is stimulate employment
y increase the number of viable and correctly paid positions
.
The Mitsotakis government claims the review will eliminate undeclared work and boost employment generally, but unions and the opposition say it is an attack on workers’ rights and will create barbaric conditions; It will aggravate the exploitation of workers in an already poorly regulated labor market, where many fear losing their jobs.
Thousands of public sector workers, including teachers, doctors and transport staff, began various protests since last Thursday in the main cities of Greece. The one-day national strike that started this mobilization, which was called by the largest Greek public sector union, Adedy, is the first strike since the re-election of the Mitsotakis government for a second four-year term.
Last July, the government adopted a law that allows people to work after age 74, that is, seven years beyond the retirement age. The premier has pledged to reduce the unemployment rate in Greece from the current 10.8 percent to 8 in 2027.
