All work and no … pay? Unpaid overtime in Greece: determining factors and theoretical explanations

Abstract

During the last decades an increase of unpaid overtime has been observed combined with the inversion of the working time decreasing trend. This article analyses the data from the Labour Force Survey to estimate the determinants of unpaid overtime in Greece and uses the results to test various theoretical explanations.

Worker knowledge of occupational legislation and related health and safety benefits

“…Another health and safety benefit of occupational legislation for workers is that it helps to prevent exploitation of workers by employers in work settings, as indicated by eight participants (6.50%) in this study. To this effect, it has been reported by Ioannides, Oxousi and Mavroudeas ( 2014 :45) that contrary to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act , which stipulates that employers must pay workers for overtime worked, some workers have been forced to work overtime without being paid for it and threatened with dismissal if they refused to work for this unpaid overtime. The implication of this forced overtime is that it increases the risk for illnesses such as myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus, as well as the risk for muscular and skeletal discomfort.…”

Flexicurity, Informality, and Immigration: The Insufficiency of the Southern EU Framework, as Illustrated through the Case of Preveza, Greece

“…However, such intervention contradicts efforts to develop ideally-functioning free labor markets based upon free agreements and minimal state interference. Indeed, the tolerance of informal employment by state authorities, and their passivity with regard to labor law violations for atypical employees, is a common reality in Southern European localities, as well as in many other European countries, one easily seen in both the data collected here as well as in the stories told by thousands of Balkan, African, and Asian workers who have recently arrived and have already been informally employed in shops and everyday activities (Maroukis et al 2011;Triantafyllidou 2013;Ioannides et al 2014).11…”

Atypical employment in crisis-hit Greek regions: Local production structures, flexibilization and labour market re/deregulation

“…A tripartite group formed by the European Union, European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund in order to offer 'financial aid' to Greece, prevent the country from bankruptcy and monitor the implementation of harsh austerity measures. Many of these measures promote employment flexibilization and deregulate the framework against dismissals (Hadjimichalis, 2011;Mavroudeas, 2014). 7.…”

“…In terms of working time flexibility, the share of employees working over standard hours is much higher in Greece than in the EU. Officially, overtime work rates are low as overtime labour is commonly undeclared -especially by small enterprises (Ioannides et al, 2014). But in fact, the average working week in Greece exceeds the EU average of 41 hours; and in manufacturing particularly, where shift-work and temporary employment (on short fixed contracts) have been extensively utilized by firms, the average operating hours per week had increased by almost 50% by the mid-2000s.…”