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Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length working days, despite strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration claimed the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek remains in place.

The government insists that the longer shift is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – currently the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, stating the reforms align Greek legislation with modern labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give workers the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor rules, which cap the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

However, critics have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the start of July, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the EU.