ATHENS: Transport and services in Greece were disrupted Tuesday for the second time this month as unions staged a 24-hour walkout against government plans to introduce an optional 13-hour workday.
The mobilization will shut down public and municipal services and paralyze ferries and trains, but flights are unaffected.
Urban transport in Athens will also operate on reduced hours.
Protests are scheduled in Athens and other major cities during the day.
The government has said the 13-hour workday, to be voted into law Wednesday, is optional but opposition parties and unions argue that workers will risk layoffs if they refuse longer hours.
Another general strike on the issue was held October 1.
“This (law) strengthens employees and facilitates businesses,” Labour Minister Niki Kerameus told SKAI TV on Tuesday.
It broadens benefits for working mothers and allows staff to negotiate a four-day working week, she said.
The legal working day in Greece is eight hours, with the possibility of performing paid overtime.
Greece has already legalized a six-day working week, especially during high demand in certain sectors including tourism.
Greeks strike again against 13-hour work reform
https://arab.news/2bxbr
Greeks strike again against 13-hour work reform
- This is the second time this month that workers in Greek have withdrawn their labor
- Unions fear the 13 hour work day could lead to layoffs if workers refuse longer hours
Russian army present in six African countries: state TV
- Russian troops or military instructors have been reported to be additionally deployed in Burkina Faso, Niger, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic and Libya
- The Wagner group was disbanded and restructured after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023 following a short-lived mutiny against Moscow
MOSCOW: The Russian army is operating in six African countries, state TV reported in a rare high-profile acknowledgement of the extent of Moscow’s official military presence on the continent.
Facing isolation in the West following its full-scale offensive in Ukraine, Moscow has tried to build new partnerships in Africa, where it has been growing its political, economic and military footprint in recent years.
“Officers and soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces unit are already operating in six African countries,” a state TV correspondent said in a report broadcast Sunday.
Except from Mali, the report did not specify which countries.
Russian troops or military instructors have been reported to be additionally deployed in Burkina Faso, Niger, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic and Libya.
The African Corps unit of the Russian defense ministry took over from the Wagner paramilitary group across the continent, diplomatic sources in the Sahel region told AFP in June.
The Wagner group was disbanded and restructured after its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a mysterious plane crash in August 2023 following a short-lived mutiny against Moscow.
Its troops had been fighting in Ukraine and had been deployed across Africa.
The state TV report identified Africa Corps as part of the Russian defense ministry.
It said most of the soldiers deployed were “veterans of the Special Military Operation,” Russia’s term for the war in Ukraine.
In one shot, a flag with insignia resembling the Wagner group’s trademark skull logo could be seen at what the reporter said was a Russian base in Mali.
The video also showed two Russian bombers launching an attack and displayed heavy Russian equipment including helicopters and armored personnel carriers.
Moscow says its forces are helping several African governments repel jihadist insurgencies.
