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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the measure will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials insists that the extended shift is elective, only applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – now the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the changes align national laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide employees the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

This complies with European Union working-time regulations, which limit the mean week to 48 hours including overtime but permit adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say local employees currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a bid to boost the economy.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's national base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.