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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a contentious work legislation that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide protests.

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

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials insists that the extended workday is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can only be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – now the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the reforms bring in line Greek laws with modern employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give workers 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 follows European Union labor regulations, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours counting overtime but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

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

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Work Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the EU.