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Greece's legislature has approved a disputed work legislation that enables extended-length work shifts, in the face of widespread opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration asserted the law will update the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is limited at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek remains in place.

The government maintains that the longer workday is elective, only affects the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Political Backing and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the centre-left faction – currently the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged multiple protests demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the reforms align Greek laws with current employment realities, and alleged critics of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give workers the choice to take on extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they cannot be dismissed for refusing overtime.

This follows EU labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours including overtime but permit adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Reactions

However, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Economic Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day working week for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, permit employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an European mean of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and quality of life remain among the lowest in the EU.