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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a contentious work legislation that permits extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the law will modernize Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved law, yearly extra hours is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials maintains that the extended workday is optional, only applies to the private sector, and can only be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and public services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, claiming the changes align national legislation with modern employment conditions, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the choice to accept extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure complies with EU working-time rules, which limit the average week to 48 hours including overtime but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local employees currently work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to boost economic growth.

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

EU Work Statistics and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.