The government hopes the new law will help tackle black market labour and boost employment.
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00:00Starting this month, people working in certain Greek businesses could have to work for up
00:07to 48 hours a week. The new labor law allows more private sector companies to impose a
00:12six-day work week on their employees. This includes 24-7 services for businesses that
00:17face an extraordinary workload.
00:21Any employer can impose a six-day work week on you and tell you that you can't do anything
00:26else. We are in Greece.
00:29We are going back to times that are decades old and have nothing to offer. The fact that
00:37all businesses are under-employed will not solve this problem, because that is the issue.
00:43Many Greek employees are angry about the new rule, arguing that it takes the country back
00:48to the days of limited labor rights. People are also pointing out that other countries
00:52have introduced a four-day work week.
01:12While those working a sixth day will get an extra 40% pay, or 115% more if it's a Sunday,
01:19most people, especially the young, prioritize their health and work-life balance.
01:42As most economists believe, the biggest problem of the Greek economy is not the total
01:55working time of the employees, but the productivity of this work. According to the European Commission,
02:02the nominal productivity per hour of work in Greece is about 40% lower than the average
02:09in Europe. This is accompanied by a series of factors. Lack of investments, mainly in
02:14new technologies, human resources without the necessary skills and extensive bureaucracy
02:20that burden Greek entrepreneurship.
02:23The average working week in Greece is the highest in the EU with 39.8 hours per week, followed
02:28by Poland and Cyprus. The European average is 36.1 hours per week, while the fewest hours
02:33are worked in the Netherlands with 32.2 hours.
02:38For more UN videos visit www.un.org