The Greek Parliament Enacts Disputed Labor Law Allowing Longer Workdays in Specific Cases

Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that authorizes extended-length work shifts, in the face of strong opposition and countrywide protests.

Government officials stated the measure will revamp the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

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

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – now the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes align national legislation with modern employment conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will give employees the choice to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows EU labor rules, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours counting overtime but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek employees currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

European Work Data and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest 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 union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.