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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration asserted the measure will modernize the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction described it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials insists that the extended shift is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate faction – now the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, claiming the reforms bring in line national laws with current employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the choice to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This complies with EU labor rules, which cap the average week to 48 hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek employees already put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's official base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.