Greece Passes Disputed Labor Law Authorizing Longer Working Days in Certain Circumstances

Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a hotly debated labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration asserted the law will revamp the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the extended workday is voluntary, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

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

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the bill, claiming the changes align national laws with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Opposition Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Reforms and Economic Background

In 2024, the country introduced a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Work Statistics and National Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.