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Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration asserted the law will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour week stays unchanged.

Officials maintains that the extended shift is elective, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the governing centre-right party, with the moderate party – now the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Worker Protections

The Labor Minister supported the bill, claiming the changes align national legislation with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining extra hours.

This complies with EU labor rules, which limit the mean week to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue local employees currently work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Financial Context

Last year, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for specific industries in a bid to stimulate economic growth.

New laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

EU Work Statistics and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in the previous year, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.