Some countries trying a 4-day work week; Greece to trial 6-day one

ATHENS, Greece - As the rest of the world zigs towards a four-day work week, Greece is opting to zag.

On July 8, a law came into effect that allows some companies to enforce a six-day work week, a shift that is intended to prop up the country’s ageing workforce and compensate strapped workers while respecting workers’ rights.

The law applies to private sector workers in certain industrial and manufacturing sectors, or to those who work in a business that operates continuous shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with some exceptions. And it would be allowed only “in exceptional circumstances”, like an unexpectedly increased workload.

Labour unions, which have long pushed for better working conditions and rights, have opposed the move. It has prompted a fierce debate, and there were protests when the Bill was approved in 2023. Greece already has the longest average work week in the European Union, and it is not clear whether the extended work week will bolster productivity.

The action in Greece stands in sharp contrast to many countries elsewhere in the world. In March, US Senator Bernie Sanders pushed to reduce the standard work week in the country to 32 hours from 40 hours. Trials have been carried out in Britain, Iceland and New Zealand, at least in part as a response to the drastic shifts in work that were precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic.

Here’s what to know about Greece’s overtime measure.

Why do some think a six-day model could help?

Greece is dealing with a shortage of skilled labour, as are its peers in the EU.

Conservative lawmakers in the country have billed the law as a way to provide more resources for employers, while providing additional income for workers.

The extra day, said labour and social insurance minister Niki Kerameus, will allow employers to address “urgent operational demands” that cannot be met given the current supply of workers, and will also put more money in the pockets of employees.

According to the law, workers get an extra 40 per cent on their sixth day. This rises to 115 per cent if that day falls on a Sunday or a public holiday. Some workers are already putting in more than 40 hours per week without getting paid for the extra time, and backers of the new measure say it affords them protections because employers would have to declare extra hours to the government.

The labour shortage has its roots partly in the financial crisis that began in 2009. Huge numbers of workers, most of them young Greeks, went abroad in search of better prospects, and some companies cut back on training and development, adding to the problem.

How have critics responded?

The Greek government has sought to downplay the implications of the move, stressing that it was an “an exceptional measure” that “does not affect in any way the established five-day working week”, Ms Kerameus said.

But many, especially on the left, are furious.

Syriza, the leftist opposition party, denounced what it called “a return to working conditions of the 19th century that puts the country to shame”.

Nearly one in five Greek adults was at risk of poverty in 2023, according to the research institute of Greece’s private sector workers’ union, and Mr Nikos Fotopoulos, the general secretary of the private sector labour union, said the government’s argument that workers can forgo the extra day did not hold up.

“Which worker, with the unemployment and poverty we have, would dare to say no to unchecked employers who you’ve allowed to treat workers like their slaves?” he wrote.

What’s the case for a four-day work week?

Supporters of a four-day work week say it could have significant benefits for employers and employees.

The logic? Fewer hours at the office should mean that the time there would be more productive.

“When people work less, they tend to work smarter,” said Dr Dale Whelehan, chief executive of 4 Day Week Global, a non-profit group. “As a result, they cut out unproductive time within their work and are able to get more done in less time.”

The evidence is still emerging, but a British trial run – conducted by Dr Whelehan’s group – seemed to have favourable results. In a survey about halfway through the study, which took place in 2022, most of the companies reported no loss of productivity during the trial.

How does the productivity argument play out in Greece?

Greece had the longest average work week in the EU in 2023. Working-age people spent an average of 39.8 hours at their jobs, compared with the bloc’s average of 36.1 hours.

So while Greece is looking to extend the work week in certain cases, backers of the four-day work week like to emphasise that less can sometimes be more when it comes to productivity.

And Greece’s productivity has long been lower than the EU’s average. Data from Eurostat, the bloc’s statistics agency, shows that Greek productivity per working hour was 30 per cent lower than the bloc’s average in 2023. NYTIMES