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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a disputed labor reform that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of strong resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the law will revamp Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials maintains that the longer workday is voluntary, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the bill, claiming the reforms bring in line national laws with modern employment conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows European Union working-time regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers currently work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

New legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Work Data and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.