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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that permits extended-length working days, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will update Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved law, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials maintains that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

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

Official Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the reforms align Greek legislation with current employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

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 refusing extra hours.

This follows EU working-time rules, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

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

Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Context

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

New laws, which started at the start of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.