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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a hotly debated labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration asserted the law will update Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive party described it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government insists that the longer shift is elective, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister defended the bill, claiming the reforms align Greek legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will give employees the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for declining overtime.

The measure follows EU working-time rules, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Reforms and Economic Background

Last year, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which started at the start of July, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.