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Greece's parliament has approved a contentious labor reform that permits extended-length working days, in the face of strong resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the law will modernize the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Elements of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly extra hours is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek continues as before.

The government maintains that the longer shift is optional, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was backed by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged multiple protests calling for the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Employee Safeguards

A senior official defended the bill, saying the changes bring in line national laws with current labor-market conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide workers the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for declining extra hours.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, as stated by the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, critics have charged the government of eroding workers' rights and "pushing the country back to a labor middle age." They argue Greek employees already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, the country enacted a six-day work schedule for specific sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

New laws, which started at the beginning of July, permit workers to work up to forty-eight hours in a week as opposed to 40.

EU Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in the previous year, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, ranking it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer versus an European mean of 5.9%, data from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged debt crisis, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.