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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite strong resistance and countrywide protests.

The administration stated the measure will update the country's labor regulations, but critics from the progressive party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved law, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week remains in place.

The government maintains that the longer workday is voluntary, only affects the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the changes bring in line Greek laws with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

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

The measure complies with European Union labor rules, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Work Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros 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 the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.