Government Building
The Greek parliament has given the green light a hotly debated work legislation that permits 13-hour working days, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.
The administration asserted the measure will update Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."
Main Elements of the New Work Legislation
According to the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week continues as before.
Officials maintains that the longer shift is optional, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.
Political Support and Opposition
Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate faction – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive group abstained.
Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and public services to a stop.
Government Justification and Worker Protections
The Labor Minister defended the legislation, stating the changes align national laws with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.
These regulations will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.
The measure follows European Union working-time regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over a year, according to the administration.
Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions
But, critics have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local employees 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 reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."
Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Background
Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.
New legislation, which started at the start of the summer, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.
EU Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics
- Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
- The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
- As of this year, the nation's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
- Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
- Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.
