Greece Approves Debated Labor Law Permitting Longer Working Days in Certain Situations

Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials asserted the law will modernize Greek work laws, but critics from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Elements of the New Work Legislation

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

Officials insists that the longer shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can only be applied for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

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

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

A senior official supported the bill, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with current employment conditions, and accused critics of misleading the public.

The laws will give workers the option to accept additional hours with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This follows EU working-time regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers already work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

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

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the poorest in the EU.