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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length working days, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will update the country's labor regulations, but critics from the progressive party described it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended workday is voluntary, solely affects the business sector, and can only be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – now the main resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, claiming the changes align Greek legislation with current labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the option to take on extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which cap the average week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Work Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.