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Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a disputed work legislation that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, annual extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials insists that the extended workday is voluntary, solely applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the moderate party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought transportation and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes align Greek legislation with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union working-time regulations, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

However, critics have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to boost economic growth.

New laws, which started at the beginning of the summer, allow workers to labor up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty.

EU Work Statistics and National Financial Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.