Thousands of Greek public sector workers, including teachers, doctors and transport staff, marched in the Greek capital Athens last Thursday during a strike against labour law changes by the conservative government, which was re-elected in June, reports Reuters. The law, approved on Friday, would allow full-time employees to get a part-time second job and work up to 13 hours a day unless certain terms apply, such as a conflict of interest. It also enables employers to implement a six-day working week, for which workers will receive an additional 40% of their daily salary.

The one-day nationwide strike called by Greece's largest public sector union ADEDY was the first walkout since the Mitsotakis government's re-election for a second term. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' liberal-conservative government says the overhaul would eliminate undeclared work and boost employment overall, but labour unions and the opposition says it is an assault on workers' rights and would create barbaric conditions.

According to the bill, an employee can be fired within the first year of work without warning or remuneration, unless agreed otherwise. It allows a probation period of up to six months, but also obliges employers to provide detailed terms of work. Employers face a fine up to €10,500 if they fail to declare an employee's extension of working hours or change of shifts. The bill also introduces fines and a six-month jail term against those who obstruct employees from working during a strike. During a speech in Parliament before the vote, Labour Minister Adonis Georgiadis defended the bill by arguing that it does not eliminate either the eight-hour day or the five-day week.