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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed work legislation that permits extended-length working days, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration asserted the law will modernize the country's labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, saying the changes bring in line national legislation with current employment conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give workers the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

The measure complies with EU working-time rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Context

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.