Greece Passes Controversial Labor Law Authorizing Extended Workdays in Specific Situations

Government Building

The Greek legislature has approved a contentious labor reform that enables extended-length working days, despite widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

The administration asserted the measure will update Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing party described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved law, yearly extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour week stays unchanged.

The government emphasizes that the extended workday is optional, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – now the primary opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, claiming the reforms align Greek laws with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will give workers the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

This follows European Union labor regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including overtime but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Viewpoints and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek workers already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Context

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

Recent laws, which came into effect at the start of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to Eurostat.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country 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.