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Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials asserted the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved law, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the longer workday is voluntary, only affects the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the moderate party – now the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive group did not vote.

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

Official Justification and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

The laws will provide employees the choice to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure complies with EU working-time regulations, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local workers already put in more time than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

New laws, which started at the start of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's national base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.