General strike in Greece over 13-hour workday plans

ATHENS

Greece ground to a halt on Wednesday in a 24-hour general strike against plans by the conservative government to introduce a 13-hour workday.

Transport in Athens, trains and ferry services were disrupted while teachers, hospital staff, and civil servants also took part in the mobilisation.

Protests were planned around across the country to oppose the reform advocated by the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The main private sector union GSEE, which is spearheading the walkout alongside public sector union ADEDY, has said the reform "endangers the health and safety of workers and destroys the balance between professional and personal life."

Pro-communist union PAME has accused the government of seeking to introduce "modern slavery" for workers and force them to endure "inhumane hours and miserable wages."

The union has also rejected what it called "a ruthless deregulation that is rapidly progressing" in Greece since the 2009 debt crisis.

The bill on the reform, which has not yet been submitted to parliament, allows staff to work 13 hours a day for the same employer under exceptional circumstances, for extra pay.

In a country where the economy has recovered since the debt crisis but remains fragile, this possibility already exists, but only if an employee has two or more employers.

Mitsotakis, in power since 2019, has noted that many young people currently have two jobs and want to work more to earn more.

Despite falling unemployment and sustained growth, which according to the European Commission clocked 2.3 percent last year, low wages remain a major concern of the economy along with the high cost of living.

The minimum wage stands at 880 euros ($1,031) per month.