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The Greek parliament has approved a hotly debated labor reform that permits extended-length working days, in the face of strong opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will modernize the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the longer shift is elective, only applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right party, with the centre-left party – now the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, saying the changes align national laws with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give workers the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining overtime.

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

EU Labor Statistics and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.