Some countries are trying a 4-day workweek. Greece wants a 6-day one

As the rest of the world zigs toward a four-day workweek, Greece is opting to zag. On Monday, a law came into effect that allows some companies to enforce a six-day workweek, a shift that is intended to prop up the country's aging workforce and compensate strapped workers while respecting workers' rights.

The law applies to private sector workers in certain industrial and manufacturing sectors, or to those who work in a business that operates continuous shifts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with some exceptions. And it would be allowed only "in exceptional circumstances," like an unexpectedly increased workload.

Labor unions, which have long pushed for better working conditions and rights, have opposed the move. It has prompted a fierce debate and, when the bill was approved last year, protests. Greece already has the longest average workweek in the European Union...