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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a contentious labor reform that enables 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 opposition figures from the progressive party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is elective, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be used for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate faction – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, stating the changes align Greek legislation with current employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will give workers the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to boost the economy.

New legislation, which started at the start of the summer, permit workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Work Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's national base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the poorest in the EU.