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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a disputed work legislation that authorizes extended-length work shifts, despite widespread resistance and countrywide protests.

The administration claimed the law will revamp the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is optional, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be used for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – now the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek laws with modern employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the option to take on extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure complies with EU labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue local workers already put in more time than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for certain industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.