A general strike against a 13-hour workday has paralysed Greece's public transport, hospitals and schools.
On Wednesday, October 1, the 24-hour strike brought mass disruption to services across the country as unions stepped up industrial action against labour laws threatening work-life balance.
In both Athens and Thessaloniki, the country's second biggest city, hospital staff, teachers and other civil servants stopped working, while seas around the capital remained vessel-free as crews kept ferries in ports.
The pro-business government of the prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has faced backlash over the proposed changes, as the workforce feels that their rights are being trampled and their work-life balance is being ruined.
Moreover, the 13-hour day proposal is expected to be passed into law this month. The change extends employees' working hours by up to five hours.
While the Mediterranean country has recovered from a prolonged debt crisis in which the economy shrank by more than 25%, Greece remained behind when it comes to wages.
At €880 (£765) a month, the minimum wage, though raised by Mitsotakis's centre-right administration, is among the lowest among European countries.
Critics have spoken of longer office hours causing burnout and work accidents. Pame, a union affiliated with the Communist party, compared the new measure to "modern slavery."
Labour market experts have questioned the wisdom of extending working hours when research shows such policies being detrimental to productivity and the quality of services and goods.
According to the EU statistical agency, Eurostat, Greeks work on average 39.8 hours a week, compared with the EU average of 35.8 hours.
Last year, the government caused a similar outcry by introducing a six-day working week, a voluntary scheme applied to private businesses in tourism and other sectors providing around-the-clock services. Unions deplored the measure as "barbaric."
