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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will modernize Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials maintains that the longer shift is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – now the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive group abstained.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the reforms align national laws with modern employment conditions, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows European Union labor rules, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

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

The public-sector union said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, Greece's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.