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Many of the protesters also waved Palestinian flags and chanted
“free, free Palestine” to voice their opposition to the war in
Gaza.
No taxis or trains in Athens were running for the duration of
the 24-hour strike, as buses and the capital city's subway, tram
and trolley services operated on a reduced schedule. The strike
disrupted services across the country, including in schools,
courts, public hospitals and municipalities.
Unions representing civil servants and private sector workers
called the strike to protest labor law changes that allow
greater flexibility in labor conditions, including overtime that
could stretch occasional shifts to 13 hours. Under the new
regulations, working hours that include overtime would be capped
at 48 hours per week, with a maximum of 150 overtime hours
allowed per year.
Unions argue the new rules leave workers vulnerable to labor
abuses by employers.
“We say no to the 13-hour (shift). Exhaustion is not
development, human tolerance has limits,” the private sector
umbrella union, the General Confederation of Workers of Greece,
said in a statement. The union called for a 37˝-hour working
week and the return of collective bargaining agreements.
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