🔗 Share this article

Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration asserted the law will update Greek labor regulations, but critics from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the extended workday is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the moderate faction – now the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the bill, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will give workers the option to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows EU working-time rules, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the government of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already put in more time than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Background

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

Recent laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, allow workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.