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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a contentious labor reform that enables extended-length working days, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the law will revamp Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week remains in place.

The government insists that the extended workday is voluntary, only affects the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes bring in line Greek laws with modern employment conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the option to accept extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure follows EU labor regulations, which limit the mean week to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Economic Background

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay was 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 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.