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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the measure will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

The government insists that the extended shift is voluntary, only affects the business sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate faction – currently the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

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

Government Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the bill, claiming the changes bring in line national legislation with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give workers the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This follows EU working-time rules, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say local workers currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

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

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's official base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.