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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration claimed the measure will update Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved law, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government insists that the longer shift is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate faction – currently the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the law's repeal recently that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, saying the changes bring in line national legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give workers the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure follows EU labor rules, which limit the mean week to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

However, critics have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Context

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.