🔗 Share this article

Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a disputed labor reform that permits extended-length work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials emphasizes that the longer shift is voluntary, solely applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days each year.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the governing centre-right party, with the moderate faction – now the main opposition – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

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

The laws will give employees the choice to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure follows EU working-time regulations, which cap the average week to 48 hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, critics have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local employees currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Context

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

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

EU Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage stood at €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.