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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length working days, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will revamp Greek 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 capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes bring in line Greek laws with current labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

This follows European Union working-time regulations, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, critics have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees currently put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Economic Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of July, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.