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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, despite fierce opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week remains in place.

The government insists that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

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

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the reforms bring in line national legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor rules, which limit the mean week to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Labor Data and National Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.