Ferries, trains halted as Greece strikes over working hours

Greek trains, ferries and taxis were halted and protests were expected in the capital Athens on Wednesday during a one-day general strike against extended working hours.

The action was organized by Greece’s largest private and public trade unions to protest a government plan to extend a 13-hour working day cap now in effect for workers with two jobs to workers with one job. The rule is expected to pass in October, a labor ministry official said.

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Unions say it will increase pressure on workers in Greece, which is emerging from the 2009-2018 debt crisis that slashed wages and pensions and caused unemployment to skyrocket. While Greece’s economy is recovering and living standards have improved after a series of pay increases, Greeks still trail their European peers in purchasing power on rising housing and food costs.

“We say no to a 13-hour workday. Working time is not a commodity. It’s our life,” the GSEE union, which represents about 2.5 million workers in the private sector, said in a statement ahead of the strike.

Workers are expected to gather in central Athens in the morning.

The government says the reform would apply only for up to 37 days a year, offer workers the chance to get 40 percent overtime payments and that it comes following employers and workers’ demands for a more flexible labor market.

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