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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that permits extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials asserted the law will modernize Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour week continues as before.

Officials insists that the extended shift is optional, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative political group, with the moderate faction – now the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

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

Official Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, saying the changes bring in line Greek laws with current employment conditions, and accused critics of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide workers the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This complies with European Union working-time regulations, which limit the mean week to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, critics have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local employees currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

EU Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.