- cross-posted to:
- world@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- world@lemmy.world
Transport systems, hospitals and schools hit, as workers say laws kill hopes of work-life balance
A general strike has paralysed Greece as unions step up industrial action against labour laws introducing a 13-hour work day in a country that already puts in some of the longest hours in Europe.
The 24-hour strike brought mass disruption to services across the country on Wednesday as thousands of workers in the public and private sector stopped work and took to the streets.
In both Athens and Thessaloniki, the country’s second biggest city, transport systems were halted, while hospital staff, teachers and other civil servants stopped working. The seas around the Greek capital were vessel-free as crews, heeding union calls, kept ferries in ports.
That’s a standard shift for the majority of nurses and doctors. Which is (should) then be compensated by working only three days a week. For some jobs and people it works wonderfully - you have less commute time and four entirely free days every week.
The extreme case are firefighters, one 24 hour shift every four days. Unless shit hits the fan and then all bets are off - you don’t exactly walk away from a forest fire because your shift ended a minute ago.
But Greece wants to allow up to 13 hours 5 days a week, which if actually done would burn people up ridiculously fast.
I tried working a 10x4 work week for a few weeks, my experience was I really only had two days free, as Friday was basically spent recovering from the week.
There’s a reason so few people do this.