Greece Passes Disputed Workplace Law Permitting Longer Workdays in Certain Circumstances

Government Building

Greece's parliament has approved a hotly debated labor reform that authorizes extended-length working days, despite fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials asserted the law will revamp Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the freshly approved law, yearly extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek remains in place.

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

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left party – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the reforms align national legislation with current labor-market conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will give employees the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows EU working-time rules, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country 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 said flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.