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Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that permits extended-length work shifts, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the law will revamp Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week remains in place.

Officials maintains that the extended workday is voluntary, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right party, with the moderate faction – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, claiming the changes bring in line national legislation with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which cap the average workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers already put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a bid to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which started at the start of the summer, permit workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

EU Work Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's national base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.