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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that authorizes extended-length work shifts, despite strong resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials asserted the law will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week stays unchanged.

The government emphasizes that the longer shift is optional, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, claiming the reforms align national laws with current employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will provide employees the option to take on additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

This follows EU working-time rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours 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 legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Context

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, allow workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.