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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length working days, despite widespread opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration asserted the measure will update Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

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

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

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

Official Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, saying the changes align national laws with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This complies with European Union working-time rules, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Context

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

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's official base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the EU.