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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a hotly debated work legislation that permits extended-length work shifts, despite strong opposition and countrywide protests.

Government officials claimed the law will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek remains in place.

Officials maintains that the longer workday is elective, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left faction – currently the main opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the reforms align Greek laws with current employment realities, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for declining overtime.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including overtime but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers already work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.