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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite widespread opposition and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will modernize the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government insists that the longer shift is elective, only affects the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – now the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, saying the changes align Greek legislation with modern employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

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

This complies with EU working-time regulations, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local employees already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.