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Government Building

Greece's legislature has approved a hotly debated labor reform that permits extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread opposition and nationwide protests.

Government officials asserted the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week remains in place.

The government maintains that the longer workday is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the moderate faction – currently the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party abstained.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with modern labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide employees the choice to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

This follows European Union working-time regulations, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, critics have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

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

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Context

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

Recent legislation, which started at the start of the summer, permit employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Data and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the EU.