Attention surrounding the prolonged strike in concrete companies has understandably focused on overtime hours, the percentage increase demanded by strikers, and the raise employers are willing to offer.
We hope that the workers’ substantial loss of wages and the severely disrupted business operations will contribute to reaching an agreement swiftly, one that aligns closely with the strikers’ demands. In reality, we’re not talking about new demands but rather the reinstatement of previous arrangements that were supposedly temporarily suspended. Just like how regulations and benefits in other sectors were “temporarily” suspended – and if anyone ever sees those again, they might as well whistle for them.
A crucial issue that this strike crisis should bring to the forefront is the excessive overtime that concrete company employees demonstrably work. There have been reports of 60, 70, or even more working hours. So if strikers and employers reach an agreement tomorrow on overtime compensation rates, will we simply return to business as usual? The same (illegally excessive) working hours, just with higher compensation?
On November 11, our colleague Adamos Adamou wrote a commentary in Phileleftheros, titled “60 or 70-hour weeks? What about the 48-hour law?”
No one has provided a satisfactory answer to Adamou’s question – not employers, not union representatives, not workers. Fortunately, there was an intervention from the Minister of Labour, which this column will address below:
Adamou wrote: “The discussions about working hours in the ready-mix concrete sector, prompted by the strike action, confirm that many regulations and laws protecting workers’ rights are passed merely for show. When there’s supposedly a law stating that workers shouldn’t work beyond 48 hours per week including overtime, it’s simply unacceptable that some, as unions have publicly alleged, have employees working 60 or 70-hour weeks. The employers’ side tacitly confirmed this by publicly acknowledging 25 hours of overtime per week. We don’t know if the Ministry of Labour has heard these specific references and is already investigating the matter. They should do so, even if belatedly”.
The Labour Minister heard these references and publicly stated that he’d requested an investigation into why this sector has systematically violated working hours legislation for many years. While we’re at it, Minister, perhaps you should request data about working hours – and conditions – in other sectors, particularly manual labour. Also about the working hours of professional drivers (like concrete mixer drivers), who operate under special EU regulations allowing slightly longer daily/weekly hours, but with specific break and rest day requirements. And remember, Minister, the uproar from employers when you recently requested that all working conditions and compensation be recorded in Ergani. The law that eventually passed wasn’t quite what the ministry wanted.
This column understands that Yiannis Panayiotou clearly recognises that if he’s now dealing with not just the concrete workers’ demands but also their anger, it’s because historically the Ministry of Labour and the Inspection Department failed to exercise their authority regarding workers and legislation. We’ve suddenly realised in 2024 that instead of hiring 10-20-25 additional staff members and implementing two shifts – or expanding their facilities – to handle the flood of orders (since refusing orders due to insufficient staffing would be unthinkable), companies found the easy solution in multiple overtime shifts, day and night. And the relevant inspection and control service turned a blind eye.
Today, Minister, let’s move beyond mere observations. Yes, workers should receive more for their overtime, but it must be absolutely guaranteed that no one will dare ask them (nor should they be allowed to accept) overtime exceeding the maximum working hours limit. And this should apply to other sectors where the practice of working “from sunrise to sunset” still exists (or has returned for some).
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