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Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that enables extended-length working days, despite fierce opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration stated the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the longer workday is elective, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – now the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, stating the reforms align national laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the option to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Background

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which came into effect at the start of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.