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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that permits extended-length working days, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials claimed the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials maintains that the longer shift is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, claiming the changes bring in line Greek legislation with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to accept extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining overtime.

This follows EU working-time regulations, which limit the mean week to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of July, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's national base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.