The Greek Parliament Enacts Disputed Labor Law Permitting Longer Workdays in Specific Circumstances

Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that authorizes extended-length work shifts, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration stated the law will modernize Greek work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted legislation, yearly overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour week remains in place.

Officials insists that the extended workday is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – currently the main resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing party abstained.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, stating the reforms bring in line national laws with modern employment conditions, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give workers the choice to accept extra work 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 limit the mean week to 48 hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the government of weakening workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, the country introduced a six-day working week for specific industries in a bid to boost the economy.

New laws, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its decade-long debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.