Leaked Memo Urges Greece to Move to Six-Day Work Week
A pensioner shouts slogans in front of the Health Ministry during an anti-austerity rally in Athens September 4, 2012. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras’s government has pledged to win back Europe’s trust by stepping up reforms and pushing through austerity cuts promised in return for a bailout that spared the country from bankruptcy. The banner reads “NO”. REUTERS/John Kolesidis (GREECE – Tags: CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS SOCIETY)
Greece is once again front and center in Europe’s ongoing economic woes. A leaked memo from the country’s European creditors to Greek ministries suggests that the country ditch anachronistic labor laws.
One suggestion: that Greece do away with the legally mandated five-day work week. While many outside of Greece see the law as anachronistic, many Greek workers want to protect it.
The leaked memo also highlights tensions between European leaders who want Greece to do more to get its economy moving again, and the Greeks themselves, many of whom are fed up with outsiders telling them how to run things.
Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with The World’s Clark Boyd, who has been covering Europe’s financial meltdown for the past two years, and who has reported from Greece several times in the past year.
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us reach our $25,000 goal and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer.