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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite strong resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials stated the law will modernize the country's labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

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

Officials insists that the extended shift is optional, only affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the changes align Greek legislation with current employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will give workers the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Background

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

New laws, which came into effect at the start of July, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Work Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, Greece's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.