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Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will modernize the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week continues as before.

Officials insists that the extended shift is voluntary, solely affects the business sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, stating the reforms align national laws with current employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.