Residents of Greece took to the streets in the first general strike since the beginning of the pandemic against the government’s proposals to introduce a four-day working week, writes Bloomberg.

As the newspaper notes, the work of transport and other areas of socio-economic life was disrupted throughout Greece after the two largest public-sector unions announced a 24-hour strike. It is assumed that teachers, doctors, and other budget employees can join the protests.

The labor market reforms proposed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis include a flexible schedule plan that could include working longer hours for four days and getting extended days off.

The bill will be put to a vote in the Greek Parliament next week. Unions fear that the move will be used by employers to exploit workers who will find it difficult to get leave because Greece has the highest unemployment rate in Europe, the article says.

Earlier, the WHO reported that a long working day caused the death of 745 thousand people worldwide in 2016.