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Greece Holds 24-Hour General Strike Over Plan for 13-Hour Workdays

Parliament has not yet scheduled the proposal for debate, leaving its fate unclear.

Overview

  • Train and ferry services were widely disrupted from midnight for 24 hours, with metro and bus operations curtailed at various times.
  • The GSEE and ADEDY unions led the walkout, drawing in teachers, hospital staff and civil servants, as police reported about 8,500 marchers in Athens and Thessaloniki.
  • The draft measure would allow, under specified conditions, up to 13 hours of work in a day for a single employer, a practice previously possible only by combining jobs.
  • Labour Minister Niki Kerameus says participation would be voluntary, capped at 37 days per year, with a 40% pay premium, aligning with the prime minister’s emphasis on choice.
  • Unions and left-wing groups warn the change endangers health and protections in a low-wage economy where Greeks already work longer weeks than the EU average.