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Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a contentious work legislation that authorizes extended-length work shifts, despite fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

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

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

Officials maintains that the extended shift is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

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

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line national laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for declining overtime.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, critics have accused the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They say local employees currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

New legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

EU Work Data and National Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the EU.