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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, despite strong resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the longer workday is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms align Greek laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will give workers the option to take on extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union working-time rules, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue 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 variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Reforms and Economic Background

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of the summer, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.