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Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a hotly debated work legislation that enables extended-length working days, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials asserted the measure will modernize Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the freshly approved law, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government insists that the extended workday is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the moderate party – now the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

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

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes align Greek laws with modern employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This follows European Union labor regulations, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours counting overtime but permit flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, critics have charged the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

Last year, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Work Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• Starting this year, the nation's official minimum wage 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 eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.