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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length work shifts, despite strong resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government insists that the longer workday is optional, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – now the primary resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, claiming the changes align national legislation with current labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will give workers the option to accept extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor regulations, which cap the average workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

However, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local workers already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of July, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.