🔗 Share this article

Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a contentious labor reform that enables extended-length working days, in the face of fierce resistance and nationwide protests.

The administration claimed the law will update Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is also at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

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

Parliamentary Support and Resistance

The recent vote was supported by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – now the main opposition – voting against the bill, while the progressive party abstained.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and public services to a stop.

Official Justification and Worker Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the bill, saying the changes align Greek laws with modern employment conditions, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This complies with EU labor rules, which cap the mean week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the end of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to stimulate the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow employees to labor up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to forty.

European Labor Statistics and National Economic Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.