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Greece's parliament has ratified a contentious work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration asserted the measure will modernize Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved law, annual overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour week continues as before.

The government insists that the extended workday is optional, solely affects the business sector, and can only be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate faction – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the bill, claiming the changes bring in line Greek laws with modern employment realities, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the option to accept additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining overtime.

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers already work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

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

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the EU.