Some 80,000 people have taken to the streets of the Austrian capital Vienna to protest government plans to extend the working day to a maximum of 12 hours.
"We will resist with all means at our disposal," Wolfgang Katzian, president of the Austrian trade union federation, said at the demonstration on Saturday.
He demanded that the Austrian government take the introduction of the 12-hour day and accompanying 60-hour week to the people in a referendum.
The new right-wing government plans to ease labour laws to allow employees to work up to 12 hours a day and 60 hours a week, a move that is fiercely opposed by the unions.
Following a heated row over the reasons an employee would be allowed to give to refuse to work more than 10 hours a day, the government made up of the conservative People's Party (OeVP) and the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) rowed back and said people did not have to give a reason to refuse to do overtime.
The law is expected to be passed by parliament on Thursday.
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