Greece Brought To A Halt With 24-hour Protest

THE COUNTRY of Greece was brought to a standstill connected Wednesday, October 1, arsenic thousands of workers took to nan streets to protestation successful a 24-hour onslaught against nan labour reforms, which would spot moving hours extended to up to 13 hours a day, a steep summation from nan existent eight. The betterment would impact moreover backstage assemblage labor pinch conscionable 1 job.

The wide onslaught was organised by Greece’s largest nationalist and backstage waste and acquisition unions, and disrupted taxis, trains, trolleys, ferries, schools, hospitals, different nationalist services, and of course, flights, stranding thousands of Brits astatine nan airport. The brunt of nan onslaught took spot successful 2 main hubs of Greece, Athens and Thessaloniki.

Said Makis Kontogiorgos, a waste and acquisition unionist from a awesome exertion institution astatine nan Syntagma Square successful Athens: “Greeks are already forced to past connected immoderate of nan lowest wages successful Europe and now they’re asking america to efficaciously activity astir of nan day. […] People can’t beryllium pushed for illustration this; astatine immoderate constituent there’ll beryllium an explosion.”

The draught bill, successful summation to extending nan workday, would springiness employers much elasticity connected short word hires and amend yearly time off rules. According to nan government, nan betterment is voluntary, intends for a much elastic labour market, and would use up to 37 days a year, besides offering overtime salary of 40 per cent.

Notwithstanding, nan new draught law is being called “slavery” and “a monstrous bill” by nan already-fed-up citizens of Greece. Facing a debased minimum costs and a precocious costs of living, and amidst an economical crisis, unions are arguing that nan caller measure would time off workers susceptible to labour abuses. According to nan waste and acquisition unions, nan measurement only increases nan unit connected workers successful nan scenery of heavy economical and socio-economic instability for nan country, opening its betterment from nan 2009 indebtedness crisis.

“We opportunity nary to nan 13-hour [change]. Exhaustion is not development, quality tolerance has limits,” said nan backstage assemblage umbrella union, General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) successful a statement. Unions are calling for an summation of wages and a 37-and-a-half hr moving week, arsenic good arsenic nan return of bargaining agreements.

The Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said of nan caller bill: “We guarantee a state of prime for some nan employer and nan employee. Why would that beryllium antisocial?”

As of now, nan minimum costs successful Greece is among nan lowest successful nan European Union, opinionated astatine astir €880 per month.