🔗 Share this article The Greek Parliament Approves Disputed Labor Law Permitting Longer Working Days in Specific Circumstances Government Building The Greek legislature has given the green light a hotly debated labor reform that enables extended-length working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests. Government officials asserted the law will update Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law." Key Elements of the New Work Legislation Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek stays unchanged. Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is optional, solely affects the business sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days each year. Political Backing and Opposition The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate party – now the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party abstained. Labor unions have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and public services to a standstill. Official Defense and Worker Protections The Labor Minister defended the legislation, saying the reforms bring in line Greek laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens. These regulations will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining extra hours. This complies with European Union labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration. Opposition Perspectives and Labor Responses However, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local employees already put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties." A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor." Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy. Recent laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty. European Labor Statistics and National Financial Indicators Across the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8). The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat. Starting this year, the nation's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations. Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show. The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.