Greece's 'New Democracy' Reforms Labor Rights... Back to Serfdom
Greece's government, under the banner of 'liberalizing' the workforce, is greenlighting a 13-hour workday. Protests, including two general strikes this month (The Independent), show employees aren't exactly cheering this 'flexibility.' This isn't just a new policy; it’s the predictable consequence of austerity measures dictated by EU institutions and the IMF a decade ago. These unelected bodies
imposed crippling debt repayment schemes that gutted public services and worker protections, turning Greece into an economic laboratory for neoliberal 'reforms.' Remember the 'crisis' where bankers were bailed out, and Greeks were told to tighten their belts, sell off national assets, and now, work longer hours for less? It appears the 'recovery' for politicians and financial elites means a
permanent state of precarity for everyone else. When does 'economic reform' just become a polite way of saying 'accelerated exploitation'?