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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed labor reform that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

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

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive party did not vote.

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

Official Justification and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line national legislation with modern labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misleading the public.

The laws will provide workers the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

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

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

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

New laws, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Work Statistics and National Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the highest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting 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 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.