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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials asserted the measure will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

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

The government maintains that the longer shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

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

Government Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the bill, stating the reforms align Greek legislation with modern labor-market realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining overtime.

This follows EU labor rules, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They argue local employees already work longer hours than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.