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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a contentious work legislation that authorizes extended-length work shifts, despite widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration stated the measure will update the country's work laws, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials maintains that the longer shift is optional, only affects the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

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

Government Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes bring in line Greek legislation with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens.

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

The measure follows European Union labor rules, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say local employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

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

New laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Labor Statistics and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.