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Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that permits extended-length working days, in the face of strong opposition and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials insists that the longer shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the bill, claiming the reforms align Greek laws with modern 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 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows European Union labor rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say local workers already put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Context

Last year, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to boost the economy.

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

EU Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.