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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that enables extended-length working days, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted law, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

The government maintains that the extended shift is elective, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – now the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, saying the changes align Greek laws with current labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for declining overtime.

This complies with European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Responses

But, critics have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers already put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.