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Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that authorizes extended-length working days, despite fierce opposition and countrywide protests.

Government officials stated the law will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is elective, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the changes bring in line national legislation with current labor-market conditions, and alleged critics of misleading the public.

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

This follows European Union labor rules, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which started at the start of July, permit employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.