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The Greek parliament has approved a hotly debated labor reform that authorizes extended-length working days, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide protests.

Government officials claimed the measure will modernize Greek labor regulations, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved law, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

The government emphasizes that the longer shift is optional, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be used for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the bill, saying the changes bring in line national legislation with current employment conditions, and accused critics of misleading the public.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This follows EU working-time regulations, which limit the average week to forty-eight hours including overtime but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Responses

However, opposition parties have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for specific sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of July, allow workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as instead of 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania (38.8).
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, the nation's official base pay was €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August compared with an European mean of 5.9%, data from Eurostat show.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and quality of life remain among the lowest in the European Union.