Greece’s largest trade union congress the GSEE has announced a 24-hour general strike on 1st October against a government bill allowing 13-hour daily shifts.
They are demanding a 37.5-hour working week instead, with polls showing strong support for shorter hours.
The GSEE is to reduce hours from 40.
The strike is scheduled to coincide with a parliamentary debate on the controversial bill.
The announcement was backed by a survey conducted by Metron Analysis, which found overwhelming support for shorter working hours. According to the poll, 94 per cent of workers favour reduced working time provided salaries remain unchanged, while 56 per cent oppose the proposed 13-hour provision.
Nine in ten workers said shorter hours would benefit family and social life, while over 80 per cent believe it would improve physical and mental health.
The proposed legislation also includes changes to holiday time, with more than half of respondents saying their annual leave is already split into three or more periods.
Meanwhile, YKK metal and plastic products workers in Turkey are still fighting for their right to collective bargaining, as the company continues to deny recognition of their union.
In June 2025, the Fair Labour Association published an audit confirming that YKK Turkey is violating workers’ rights.
The company has failed to act. Petrol-Is, the union representing YKK workers, is now urging global brands that rely on YKK to intervene and ensure the recommendations are implemented.
In August 2025, Petrol-Is met with managers to press for action. At the meeting, the union emphasised that the fundamental labour rights of YKK Turkey workers has been systematically violated and demanded an end to the company’s hostile stance towards union members.
They insisting that these violations be stopped.
This ongoing dispute stems from a flawed process dating back to 2024. After organising a majority of YKK’s roughly 670 workers, Petrol-Is secured official recognition from Turkey’s Ministry of Labour and Social Security in May of that year. Instead of engaging with the union, YKK management responded with union-busting tactics, including threats and coercion to force resignations.
Pressure on members escalated further, with unfounded disciplinary actions targeting leading organisers, prompting workers to hold peaceful demonstrations in July.
In August 2024, YKK created a management-controlled spokesperson committee to undermine Petrol-Is, while refusing to meet with the union. By September, the dispute had gained international attention, with IndustriALL sounding the alarm and YKK workers in Brazil and the UK sending solidarity messages.
The conflict deepened in early 2025.
Dozens of workers resigned under pressure and in February a local court ruled against Petrol-Is in a sectoral dispute – a decision the union believes was deliberately engineered by YKK to delay recognition.
Despite its global code of conduct, which pledges respect for freedom of association, the company has refused to enter dialogue.
At the heart of the issue lies a loophole: YKK is officially registered under the metal sector, while workers can only affiliate through Turkey’s e-government system with unions in the petroleum-chemistry-rubber sector.
This misclassification has allowed YKK to block collective bargaining for two years, despite guarantees under international law. Until this loophole is resolved, YKK workers in Turkey remain locked out of their fundamental rights.
Mehmet Kaya, general financial secretary of Petrol-Is who organises at YKK, said: ‘YKK Turkey workers exercised their constitutional right to unionise, yet management responded with pressure instead of respecting their rights and recognising collective bargaining.
‘This anti-union stance has created unrest, undermined industrial peace and left workers living in constant fear of dismissal, with serious impacts on their families. Such hostility is unacceptable.
‘YKK workers deserve dignity, job security and a decent working environment and we call on YKK Global Management to ensure these rights are respected without delay.’
IndustriALL general secretary, Atle Høie, said: ‘It is unacceptable that YKK continues to deny workers in Turkey their fundamental right to collective bargaining.
Freedom of association is not optional — it is guaranteed under international law and YKK must respect it in practice, not just in words. We stand firmly with Petrol-Is and the workers and we call on YKK’s global management and the brands it supplies to ensure these rights are upheld without further delay.’
