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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a contentious labor reform that authorizes extended-length work shifts, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the measure will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, claiming the reforms align national legislation with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give employees the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, critics have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue 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 said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

EU Labor Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.