Greece is bringing in a 6-day work week. Could Canada follow? – National

Staff in Greece are going to need to work a bit of bit longer beginning this week, with the nation introducing a six-day work week for some.

As a part of new labour legal guidelines handed final 12 months, some Greek employees started a 48-hour work week beginning Monday, a transfer that union representatives from throughout industries have termed “barbaric.”

The professional-business authorities of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated the modifications are “growth-oriented” and are crucial given the nation’s shrinking inhabitants and lack of expert labour — a disaster Mitsotakis has described as a “ticking time bomb.”

Nevertheless, the transfer isn’t discovering many takers right here in Canada.

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“We do have an pressing want to repair Canada’s declining productiveness. Nevertheless, the answer isn’t essentially to undertake longer working hours however reasonably work in a better manner,” stated Diana Palmerin-Velasco, senior director on the way forward for work on the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

“To extend productiveness, we have to allow an modern financial system by means of regulatory modernization, technological funding and adoption, digital transformation of SMEs, and higher skilling and coaching of our workforce,” Palmerin-Velasco stated.

Moshe Lander, economics professor at Concordia College, stated Greece seems out of sync.

“The world appears to be getting in the other way. We appear to be speaking about, how will we get all the way down to a four-day work week? They need to return to a six-day work week,” he stated.

So, what does the legislation in Canada say concerning the concept?

Work circumstances are set by provincial laws, however a nation-wide view may come from the Canada Labour Code.

The Canada Labour Code, which oversees federally regulated industries similar to banking, transportation, and telecommunications, says “hours of labor in every week shall be so scheduled and truly labored that every worker has not less than one full day of relaxation within the week.”

Nevertheless, it goes on to say that the variety of working hours won’t exceed eight hours in a day and 40 hours in every week.

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Technically, it may very well be potential to institute a six-day work week however the federal labour code would should be amended to extend the variety of working hours. Provinces with related guidelines must do the identical for the greater than 90 per cent of Canadians in non-federally regulated workplaces.

Unions in Canada fought to institute a shorter work week in 1872 and Lander stated the five-day work week has not dampened productiveness.

“We’ve completed about 100 years of a five-day workweek, and up till concerning the Nineteen Eighties, we have been seeing productiveness enhance, regardless of the very fact we have been working the very same variety of days,” he stated.

He stated Canada’s lack of productiveness in recent times had little to do with the variety of days or hours Canadians labored, however extra to do with the shortage of competitors in key sectors similar to telecom, airline and retail.

When main Canadian firms don’t have any worry of competitors, he says they won’t be as incentivized to innovate.

“It’s not that the Canadian employee is essentially lazy, it’s simply that they’re not induced to work onerous as a result of the house owners of the companies that they work for usually are not afraid that anyone’s going to return steal the enterprise,” he stated.

Lander stated Canada may leverage its free commerce agreements with the USA, Mexico and commerce offers with some European and Asian companions to permit extra international competitors for Canadian firms.

“I perceive why you wish to see that Canadian flag over a few of our companies, but when that’s going to result in decrease productiveness and a decrease lifestyle, possibly nationalism must be put apart,” he stated.

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He stated that extra international competitors within the labour market would additionally assist employees.

“If you happen to solely have a restricted variety of Canadian companies which are prepared to rent you on your labor, they’ve all the ability,” he stated. “Elevated productiveness means elevated pay.”

In the meantime, public sector employees in Canada are demanding extra flexibility in how they work.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) stated in an announcement Tuesday that it’s ramping up efforts to struggle over a three-day in-office mandate.

“PSAC members overwhelmingly oppose the federal government’s misguided telework mandate. They’re rightfully indignant that their employer is making unilateral modifications to their work environments with out justifying the choice with information,” PSAC stated in an announcement.

The union has promised a “summer time of discontent” over the federal government’s modifications.

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