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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite fierce opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration stated the law will modernize Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive faction described it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week stays unchanged.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left party – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, claiming the reforms align national legislation with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will provide employees the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

This complies with EU labor rules, which cap the average week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already work longer hours than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

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

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the start of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.