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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length work shifts, despite strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the law will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials insists that the extended workday is elective, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – now the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line Greek laws with modern labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the choice to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows EU labor regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical 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 local employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

New laws, which started at the start of July, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, 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 financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.