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Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a contentious labor reform that authorizes extended-length working days, despite fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration stated the measure will update the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials maintains that the extended shift is voluntary, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the reforms bring in line national legislation with modern employment conditions, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which cap the average week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Background

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

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.