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Greece's legislature has approved a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length work shifts, despite fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the law will revamp the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the centre-left party – now the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Safeguards

A senior official supported the legislation, claiming the changes bring in line national legislation with current employment conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

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

This complies with European Union labor regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local workers already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

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

European Work Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, the nation's official base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.