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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious labor reform that authorizes extended-length work shifts, despite widespread opposition and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted law, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

Officials maintains that the extended workday is optional, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate party – now the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and public services to a stop.

Government Justification and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the reforms align Greek legislation with current labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with EU working-time regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They argue local employees already put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Context

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

Recent laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.