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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of widespread resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials emphasizes that the longer workday is optional, solely affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate faction – currently the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, saying the reforms align Greek legislation with modern labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers currently put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which started at the start of July, allow workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.