PASOK spokesperson: New labor bill reflects government's dogma of cheap labor, low productivity
The new labor bill reflects the dogma of New Democracy in "cheap labor, low productivity - the very last of the last in Europe -, absolute flexibility without security, and a future that dismantles family planning," PASOK press spokesperson Kostas Tsoukalas told Mega on Wednesday.
Levelling sharp criticism against the government, Tsoukalas focused on the 13 hours of overtime issue, accusing the government of "consciously lying". The spokesperson of the main opposition cited the Civil Code's Article 659, which says that an employee is obliged to work overtime, unless sick, with refusal to do so considered against good faith. "Therefore, the idea it is not obligatory is a lie. It is obligatory for these 37 days of the year," Tsoukalas asserted. He added that under ruling New Democracy firing an employee without cause became easier, without recourse to justice.
"I can claim that I dismissed him because I am exercising the right of a manager, and was not happy with his work," he added. Labor Minister Niki Kerameus does not give an employee the option of negotiation, and removes tools the employee could use in a collective work agreement.
PASOK's spokesperson also said that the 4-day week foreseen in the government's labor bill "is not in any way related to the 4-day week occurring in Europe." He said that in Greece, employees work four 10-hour days, and that is not considered overtime.
The law permitting 10-hour days in a 4-day week was introduced by former labor minister Kostis Hatzidakis in 2021 following a written request by the employee. But under a law introduced by former labor minister Adonis Georgiadis, it was the employer who requested it. "Even that they introduced in 2021, they changed for the worse in order to facilitate arbitrary actions," Tsoukalas noted.
