The General Confederation of Greek Workers (GSEE), the Greek TUC, responded on Thursday with an angry statement to the government Labour Ministry’s intention to extend working hours to up to 13 per day for the same employer.
Worker representatives argue that the Greek government is attempting to solidify a practice that will physically and mentally exhaust employees, without actually improving the productivity of the Greek economy.
The GSEE stated: ‘The further deregulation of the labour framework and the shift of responsibility for managing working and leisure time to individual negotiation — where the employer-employee relationship is imbalanced — essentially undermines any effort to restore a framework of free collective bargaining.
‘The duration of working time, rest periods, and vacation for workers cannot be regulated by government intervention, but only through social dialogue, through collective bargaining.’
The proposed law, which will be subject to public consultation in the coming weeks, provides that employees working for the same employer will be able to work up to 13 hours per day.
Until now, this measure only applied to those working for two different employers.
Labour Minister Niki Kerameos claimed that workers will receive a 40 per cent bonus for overtime.
At the same time, the government claims there will be safeguards in place ensuring that employees cannot work more than 48 hours per week over a 4-month period, and that annual overtime does not exceed 150 hours.
The GSEE added: ‘Is it sustainable for reconciling your family life, your personal life and your other commitments?
‘We believe it is not sustainable. Employers in Greece are asking for more flexible forms of labour.
‘They claim they cannot find workers, and that vacant positions threaten the viability of their businesses.’
Unemployment in Greece has fallen to 8.3 per cent, the lowest level in 17 years.
However, the average wage in Greece remains almost half the European average wage, according to recent data from the GSEE Labour Institute.
Young Bulgarian health workers demand better pay, conditions and training!
YOUNG doctors, nurses, and medical students held protests on Thursday demanding significant pay rises, better working conditions, and improvements in training and education, as Bulgaria’s healthcare sector faces a deepening staffing crisis.
The demonstrations, which began in major cities including the capital Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna, are drawing renewed attention to long-standing underfunding in the health sector, while many hospitals are struggling to stay open due to a lack of staff and resources.
The current wave of protests follows an unprecedented strike by staff at state psychiatric hospitals earlier this year, which led to salary increases of more than 30 per cent.
Protesting under the banner ‘Future in Bulgaria’, the medical personnel are supported by the Bulgarian Union of Medical Specialists. Employees of national transfusion and haematology centres joined the protest movement in June.
Young doctors are demanding a starting salary of 2,000 euros (£1,724), or 3.5 times the minimum wage.
Healthcare professionals, including nurses, midwives, lab technicians, and physiotherapists, are demanding starting wages of 1,800 euros (£1,552), or 150 per cent of the national average salary.
Bulgaria’s healthcare system is facing a growing shortage of workers, particularly nurses. According to official government data, the number of nurses fell to 28,600 in 2023.
The Bulgarian Medical Association has repeatedly called for an increase in the health insurance tax paid by citizens to bolster the public healthcare fund. This could help stabilise struggling regional hospitals and improve compensation for healthcare workers.
However, the proposal remains politically sensitive, and the government, backed by a fragile four-party coalition, has yet to endorse such a measure.
Iran defends its sovereign rights
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed the European Union’s recent push to initiate talks aimed at halting Iran’s nuclear programme.
In a post on social media, Araghchi on Wednesday argued that the EU’s call undermines Iran’s sovereign rights under international law and fails to acknowledge the complexities of the existing nuclear agreements.
Araghchi further criticised the EU’s stance by referencing UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
Araghchi rejected the involvement of the EU and the UK in any future negotiations, stating that their participation would be irrelevant and meaningless.
He contended that the resolution and the JCPOA framework have been undermined by the withdrawal of key parties, particularly the United States in 2018, rendering mechanisms like the ‘snapback’ sanctions process obsolete and legally baseless.
Iran has intensified asserting its nuclear rights since the US unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA under the Trump administration, reimposing stringent sanctions.
Iran has since scaled back its compliance with the deal, advancing its uranium enrichment activities, while maintaining that its programme is for peaceful purposes, such as energy production and medical research.
Tehran has long complained about European inaction and duplicity since the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018.
Araghchi, reiterating Tehran’s long-standing position, on Tuesday warned the European Union against the ‘destructive approach’ toward Iran’s nuclear activities and support for Israeli aggression by several European countries.
Araghchi emphasised the responsibility of all governments to condemn the military aggression by Israel and the United States against Iran.
Call-up for Danish women
Danish women now face being called up for 11 months of military service when they turn 18, after a change in the law came into effect.
Under new rules passed by Denmark’s parliament, women are to join teenage males in a lottery system that could require them to undertake a period of conscription.
The change was brought in as NATO countries boost defence spending amid heightened security concerns in Europe.
Up to now, women were allowed to participate in military service when they turned 18, but on a voluntary basis.
From Tuesday, both men and women turning 18 will be required to register to be assessed for potential military service. Volunteers will be recruited first, with the remaining numbers made up through the lottery system.
The change will also see the period of conscription for teenagers rise from four months to 11 months.
About 4,700 Danish men and women undertook a short period of military service in 2024 – about 24 per cent of them being female volunteers. The new rules on conscription are expected to see the overall number doing military service annually rise to 6,500 by 2033.
The government in March also announced a 40.5 billion Danish crowns (£4.3 billion) increase in defence spending over the next five years to meet Nato targets.
There are about 9,000 professional personnel currently serving in Denmark’s
military.
