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Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will modernize the country's work laws, but critics from the progressive party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved law, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials insists that the extended workday is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate faction – currently the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

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

Government Justification and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the reforms align Greek laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining overtime.

This complies with EU labor rules, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers currently work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

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

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of July, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

EU Labor Data and National Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's national base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the EU.