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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that authorizes extended-length working days, despite widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the measure will modernize the country's labor regulations, but critics from the progressive party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly extra hours is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

The government maintains that the longer shift is voluntary, only applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party did not vote.

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

Official Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current employment realities, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide employees the option to accept extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union working-time rules, which cap the mean week to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local workers currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.