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The Greek parliament has ratified a hotly debated labor reform that authorizes extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread opposition and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the law will update Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week continues as before.

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

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left party – now the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the changes align national laws with current labor-market realities, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will give workers the choice to take on extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure complies with European Union labor rules, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

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

EU Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the highest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.