The Greek Parliament Approves Disputed Labor Law Allowing Longer Working Days in Specific Circumstances

Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length working days, in the face of widespread opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the law will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

The government insists that the extended shift is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – now the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted public transport and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, saying the reforms align Greek laws with modern employment conditions, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining overtime.

The measure follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the average week to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek workers currently work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the EU.