The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE) has declared a 24-hour nationwide strike on Wednesday, October 1st, unanimously adopting the proposal of its executive committee. The Civil Servants’ Confederation (ADEDY) has also already announced a 24-hour strike for the same day.

The main demands are:

• Withdrawal of the unacceptable set of measures on the regulation of working time in the upcoming bill of the competent Ministry, which introduces a 13-hour working day under the same employer. This continues a series of laws that primarily burden the most vulnerable workers.
• Reduction of working hours now, with the implementation of a 37.5-hour workweek, as already applied successfully in many European countries.
• Restoration of the framework of free collective bargaining, as it existed before the notorious Cabinet Act 6/2012, a cornerstone of the bailout-era legislation.

According to GSEE, the government “shows no concern for the balance between professional and personal life, nor for health and safety in workplaces. At the same time, entrusting the regulation of working time to a paternalistic state ignores social dialogue, deliberately weakens free collective bargaining, and serves very specific employer interests.”

The statement concludes:
“Greek wage earners, who already work more annual hours than all their colleagues in the EU, and who report overwhelming levels of burnout and exhaustion, are now faced with a dystopia. Enough is enough. We cannot endure any longer. Working time is not a commodity—it is our life!”