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Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of strong resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the New Labor Law

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

Officials insists that the extended workday is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – now the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will provide workers the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers currently put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while earning less 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 destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of July, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.