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Government Building

The Greek parliament has approved a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread opposition and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the measure will revamp Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

According to the newly enacted legislation, annual overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week continues as before.

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

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the governing centre-right party, with the moderate party – now the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the law's repeal recently that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes bring in line Greek legislation with modern labor-market conditions, and accused critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give workers the choice to take on additional hours with the same employer for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This follows EU working-time regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including overtime but permit flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say local workers already put in more time than most Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Context

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

Recent legislation, which started at the start of July, allow employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to forty.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the European Union in the previous year, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.