Is the EU About to Enforce Sunday Worship in Greece?
Greece must introduce a six-day working week, or lose its bailout money, Greece’s creditors said, according to a letter leaked to the Guardian and published September 4. This demand means Greeks would have to work Saturday and rest on Sunday as they’re forced to conform to the teachings of the Catholic and Orthodox churches, regardless of their personal beliefs.
The Guardian reported that the letter “orders the government to extend the working week into the weekend.” It was sent last week to Greece’s finance and labor ministries. An excerpt from the letter published by the Guardian called on the government to “increase the number of maximum workdays to six days per week for all sectors.”
The letter is from the “troika”—Greece’s three main creditors who oversee its bailout program: the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. They also called for Greece to take several other steps to make working hours more flexible and to cut labor market regulation.
Their demand for a six-day week would mean that workers would be pushed to work on Saturday, not Sunday. Greek law already forbids working on Sunday. It states: “Employees are entitled to a minimum continuous period of rest of at least 24 hours per week, including Sunday as a rule, depending on the labor law provisions in force for each category of employees,” according to the European Commission’s website (emphasis added throughout).
If the working week is extended to six days, this law will almost certainly remain in force. Employers could soon be demanding a six-day week from most Greek workers. If someone tries to stick to his religious principles by working on Sunday and resting on Saturday, it would be illegal.
Catholic bishops have been working to introduce similar laws across the EU, robbing Europe’s citizens of the choice of which day they rest. They have tried several times to change Europe’s Working Time Directive, which says that all European workers must have at least one rest day a week, to say that all EU workers must take that rest day on Sunday.
Greece must introduce a six-day working week, or lose its bailout money, Greece’s creditors said, according to a letter leaked to the Guardian and published September 4. This demand means Greeks would have to work Saturday and rest on Sunday as they’re forced to conform to the teachings of the Catholic and Orthodox churches, regardless of their personal beliefs.
The Guardian reported that the letter “orders the government to extend the working week into the weekend.” It was sent last week to Greece’s finance and labor ministries. An excerpt from the letter published by the Guardian called on the government to “increase the number of maximum workdays to six days per week for all sectors.”
The letter is from the “troika”—Greece’s three main creditors who oversee its bailout program: the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund. They also called for Greece to take several other steps to make working hours more flexible and to cut labor market regulation.
Their demand for a six-day week would mean that workers would be pushed to work on Saturday, not Sunday. Greek law already forbids working on Sunday. It states: “Employees are entitled to a minimum continuous period of rest of at least 24 hours per week, including Sunday as a rule, depending on the labor law provisions in force for each category of employees,” according to the European Commission’s website (emphasis added throughout).
If the working week is extended to six days, this law will almost certainly remain in force. Employers could soon be demanding a six-day week from most Greek workers. If someone tries to stick to his religious principles by working on Sunday and resting on Saturday, it would be illegal.
Catholic bishops have been working to introduce similar laws across the EU, robbing Europe’s citizens of the choice of which day they rest. They have tried several times to change Europe’s Working Time Directive, which says that all European workers must have at least one rest day a week, to say that all EU workers must take that rest day on Sunday.
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