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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a contentious work legislation that authorizes extended-length work shifts, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials insists that the longer workday is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right party, with the moderate party – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

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

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

A senior official supported the bill, saying the changes align national laws with current labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will give employees the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

This complies with EU working-time rules, which cap the mean week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees already work longer hours than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Work Data and National Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.