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Greece's legislature has approved a contentious work legislation that permits extended-length work shifts, despite strong opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the law will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is optional, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the changes align Greek legislation with current employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

The laws will give employees the choice to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining overtime.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already put in more time 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 destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

Recent laws, which started at the start of July, permit employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting 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 twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.