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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that permits extended-length work shifts, despite strong opposition and countrywide protests.

Government officials asserted the measure will revamp Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the longer workday is elective, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left faction – now the main opposition – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, saying the reforms bring in line national laws with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the public.

The laws will give employees the option to accept extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Labor Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.