TEHRAN Greece's Economy Minister Yannos Papantoniou ruled out Sunday introducing the 35-hour working week because it would destroy jobs, he said in an interview with the Meleftherotypia daily.
"The 35 hours in a country like Greece which is not in an advanced technological state would weigh heavily on labor costs ... the 35 hours in present conditions would lead to a loss of jobs," he said.
Papantoniou added that the country should "wait for the decisions" of the trade unions and employers, who have been discussing the issue since March last year.
The country's main trade union, GSEE, is calling for the measure to be applied throughout Greece, without a drop in salaries and within three years, while the Federation of Greek Industrials (SEV) is opposed to it.
But several Greek companies, including the largest in the domestic telecommunications sector Intrakom, and several banks have already started introducing the 35-hour week, AFP said.
Papantoniou also called for a favorable decision on labor flexibility talks underway between employers and trade unions, needed for Greece's adhesion to the euro zone on January 1, 2001.
The talks launched in mid-July by Labor Minister Tassos Yannitsis are to last two and a half months.
The government is hoping to introduce flexibility in working hours, more part-time work, a relaxation of laws restricting redundancies and increasing the state's share of employers' social charges.
The government says the changes will create 300,000 new jobs by 2004.
(IRNA)