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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes extended-length work shifts, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials stated the measure will revamp the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Work Legislation

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

The government insists that the extended shift is optional, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms bring in line national laws with modern employment realities, and accused critics of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows EU labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.