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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a hotly debated work legislation that authorizes extended-length work shifts, in the face of fierce opposition and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved law, annual extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials insists that the extended shift is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the bill, stating the changes bring in line national laws with modern employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, critics have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.