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Government Building

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

Government officials claimed the law will update the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended workday is optional, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the changes bring in line Greek laws with modern employment conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining overtime.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which cap the mean week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers currently put in more time than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Background

Last year, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and National Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.