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Greece's parliament has given the green light a disputed work legislation that permits extended-length working days, in the face of fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the law will modernize the country's labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week continues as before.

Officials maintains that the longer workday is voluntary, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate faction – currently the primary opposition – voting against the bill, while the left-wing party abstained.

Worker organizations have organized multiple protests calling for the law's repeal recently that brought public transport and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the bill, claiming the reforms bring in line national legislation with current labor-market realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give employees the option to take on additional hours with the current company for increased compensation, while guaranteeing they cannot be dismissed for declining overtime.

This follows European Union labor rules, which cap the mean week to forty-eight hours counting overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Critical Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the nation back to a medieval work era." They say local employees currently work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

Last year, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a bid to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which came into effect at the beginning of July, permit workers to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Work Statistics and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in the previous year, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), then Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage was €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in the summer compared with an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the European Union.