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Government Building

The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length working days, in the face of strong opposition and countrywide strike actions.

The administration asserted the measure will update Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved law, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials emphasizes that the extended workday is elective, only applies to the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – now the main opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, saying the changes bring in line Greek laws with current employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give workers the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

The measure complies with European Union working-time rules, which cap the mean workweek to 48 hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, critics have charged the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees currently put in more time than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to boost economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.