🔗 Share this article The Greek Parliament Passes Disputed Labor Law Permitting Longer Workdays in Specific Cases Government Building The Greek legislature has approved a hotly debated labor reform that authorizes extended-length working days, despite widespread opposition and countrywide protests. The administration asserted the measure will revamp the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "regulatory disaster." Key Elements of the Recently Passed Labor Law Under the newly enacted legislation, annual extra hours is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek remains in place. Officials maintains that the extended shift is optional, solely applies to the business sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year. Parliamentary Backing and Resistance The recent vote was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive group abstained. Worker organizations have staged two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and services to a stop. Official Defense and Employee Safeguards The Labor Minister defended the legislation, claiming the changes align national legislation with modern employment realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public. The laws will give employees the option to take on additional hours with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing extra hours. This follows European Union working-time rules, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours counting overtime but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the government. Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses However, opposition parties have charged the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties." The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor." Recent Workplace Reforms and Economic Background In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain sectors in a bid to boost the economy. Recent laws, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as instead of forty. EU Work Statistics and National Financial Metrics Across the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania. The shortest work hours in the union is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics. As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among EU countries. Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in the summer compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office indicate. The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.