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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a disputed work legislation that authorizes extended-length working days, despite strong resistance and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the measure will modernize the country's labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek remains in place.

The government maintains that the longer workday is optional, only applies to the business sector, and can only be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left party – now the main opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, claiming the changes align Greek laws with modern employment conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure follows EU working-time rules, which cap the average week to 48 hours counting extra hours but allow adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

However, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They say local employees currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of July, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Work Statistics and National Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in the previous year, the highest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's national base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.