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Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a disputed work legislation that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials claimed the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

The government insists that the longer shift is voluntary, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the moderate party – currently the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes demanding the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

A senior official supported the legislation, saying the reforms align Greek laws with current employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will give workers the choice to accept additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They say local workers already work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

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

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Background

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of July, allow workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

EU Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.