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The Greek legislature has given the green light a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length working days, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the law will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government emphasizes that the extended workday is voluntary, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Backing and Resistance

The recent ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – now the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a standstill.

Official Defense and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, stating the changes bring in line Greek legislation with current labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide workers the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor rules, which cap the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

But, critics have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say local workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Economic Background

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to boost the economy.

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Labor Data and National Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.