Labor Minister Niki Kerameos characterized Nikos Androulakis’ proposal for implementing a four-day work week as “dangerous, unfounded and worrying.” Speaking on SKAI television, the minister stated that “we have a proposal with three characteristics: dangerous, unfounded and worrying” and explained that this is a proposal which, she claims, poses serious risks.
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As she noted, it is dangerous because “Mr. Androulakis talks about a 4-day work week with full pay but doesn’t tell us who will pay for the fifth day. This is a proposal that will mathematically lead to the closure of thousands of small and medium enterprises and unemployment for thousands of workers,” the Labor Minister emphasized.
She also characterized it as unfounded, pointing out that the opposition leader “made a proposal that affects the lives of millions of workers without having a single figure or number about how it will impact social security contributions and pension funds. This shows the frivolity with which the main opposition treats serious issues.”
Regarding the “worrying” aspect, N. Kerameos noted that N. Androulakis “doesn’t understand the structure of the Greek economy. It’s not the same as France, for example. In Greece, over 90% of businesses have up to 10 employees.” It’s worth noting that N. Kerameos, referring to France which has legislated the four-day work week, pointed out that it has very high unemployment, reaching “the worst levels” in recent years.
Niki Kerameos on four-day work week: Warning bell for closures and rising unemployment – “Businesses that can’t handle it will close and workers will be laid off”
Finally, the Labor Minister, giving an example of what Androulakis’ proposal means, noted that a grocery store would have to hire another employee for the remaining one day and added that this “greatly burdens labor costs while revenues won’t change.”
Sounding an alarm bell for closures and rising unemployment, the Labor Minister noted that “businesses that can’t handle it will close and workers will be laid off.”
