Greece Enacts Disputed Labor Law Authorizing Longer Workdays in Certain Cases

Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, despite widespread opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration stated the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials maintains that the longer workday is elective, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – now the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted public transport and public services to a stop.

Government Defense and Worker Protections

A senior official supported the bill, stating the changes bring in line national laws with modern labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

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

This follows EU working-time rules, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say local employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union 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 Labor Changes and Economic Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of July, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.