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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a contentious work legislation that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will update Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials maintains that the longer workday is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, saying the reforms bring in line Greek laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give employees the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which cap the average week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local employees already put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which started at the start of July, allow employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest 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 nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.