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Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a disputed work legislation that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, despite strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the law will update the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials insists that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left faction – now the main opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party abstained.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes bring in line Greek legislation with current employment conditions, and alleged critics of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to accept additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining overtime.

The measure follows EU working-time rules, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, critics have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." 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."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's national base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.