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The Greek legislature has approved a disputed labor reform that enables extended-length work shifts, despite fierce resistance and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the law will revamp the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing faction described it as a "regulatory disaster."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the newly enacted law, annual overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard 40-hour workweek stays unchanged.

The government maintains that the extended shift is optional, only applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

The recent vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling centre-right political group, with the centre-left faction – now the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing party did not vote.

Worker organizations have staged two general strikes demanding the bill's withdrawal recently that brought public transport and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the legislation, stating the changes bring in line national laws with modern labor-market conditions, and alleged critics of misleading the public.

These regulations will give workers the choice to accept additional hours with the same employer for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for declining overtime.

This complies with European Union labor regulations, which limit the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "driving the nation back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already work longer hours than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Changes and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a bid to boost the economy.

Recent laws, which started at the start of the summer, allow employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Work Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the longest working weeks 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, as per EU statistics.
• Starting this year, Greece's national base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.