Will the 4-day working model be implemented in Greece?

Labor law expert, Mr Giannis Karouzos, speaking to the ERT channel, referred to the experimental implementation of the four-day working model, in several countries and, especially, in Greece.

More specifically, he said that: “In Greece, there is now the possibility of working 80% of the weekly time, without losing your insurance coverage and your salary for the fifth day.

This experiment started in 2016, in Iceland, and was implemented as a model a year and a half ago in Ireland. The next country to implement the four-day working model, in an experimental stage, was Spain and now Great Britain.

In Spain, where this model has been in place for a year now, no results have been seen, as the Spanish state recently changed its labor law and did not adopt the four-day working model.

Four-day working model offers more free time to employees and a better balance between personal and professional life.

However, the model we are talking about cannot be implemented in Greece. For instance, in Greece there is no employer that can say that I want my employees to work for four days, but I will pay and insure them for five. This possibility cannot arise from legislation. In Greece, there is only the possibility of rotating employment, something the employees do not really like, as rotating employment means a reduction in pay and loss of the social security stamp on the fifth day.

Legislative intervention is needed, so it will be a positive development, if it is going to be approved as a measure by ordinance, but with no reduction in salary and no loss of the social security rights.”