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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite fierce resistance and countrywide protests.

Government officials stated the measure will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

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

The government insists that the longer shift is elective, solely affects the business sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – currently the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and public services to a stop.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the reforms bring in line Greek laws with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

This complies with EU labor rules, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

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

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

European Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting this year, Greece's official minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.