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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a contentious work legislation that permits extended-length work shifts, despite widespread resistance and countrywide protests.

The administration claimed the measure will update Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved law, annual overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

Officials insists that the extended shift is optional, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and public services to a stop.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the changes align national laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with EU working-time rules, which cap the average week to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, critics have charged the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

New legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Work Statistics and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the EU.