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Government Building

Greece's legislature has given the green light a contentious work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, despite widespread opposition and nationwide strike actions.

The administration claimed the law will modernize the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week stays unchanged.

The government emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days each year.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the centre-left faction – currently the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a stop.

Official Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the legislation, claiming the reforms bring in line Greek legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and alleged critics of misinforming the citizens.

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

This follows EU working-time rules, which cap the average week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek workers currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

EU Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.