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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the law will revamp Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is optional, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate faction – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the changes bring in line national legislation with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will give workers the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

The measure follows European Union working-time regulations, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

However, critics have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local workers already work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.