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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a hotly debated work legislation that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration asserted the measure will update Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved law, annual overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the longer shift is optional, only affects the private sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the moderate faction – now the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

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

Government Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the changes bring in line national laws with modern employment conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

The laws will give employees the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which cap the average week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

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

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Background

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

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of July, permit workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.