The new labor bill was approved yesterday by the Cabinet [1], [2], [3]. Among other provisions, it allows for: employment of up to 13 hours per day for the same employer, a four-day workweek of 10-hour days calculated annually, or overtime work within a three-day rotational schedule — a framework not previously permitted.
The bill also introduces faster hiring processes, even via mobile devices — replacing the current requirement of four documents with just one — and allows for annual holiday time to be split into more than two periods, based on an agreement between employer and employee.
Additionally, provisions are included for the digital work card, introducing a 120-minute flexibility window for clocking in and eliminating several required documents. New rules are also being introduced for working pensioners, such as freezing the “solidarity contribution” in cases where pension increases occur, ensuring that any additional earnings are not reduced when work ceases.
The opposition accuses the government of pursuing an “anti-labor agenda” that has nothing to do with the European goal of a 35-hour workweek.
According to the Ministry of Labor, the new bill — which was presented as having eight key pillars — aims to modernize the labor market, reduce bureaucracy, and enhance transparency.
Opposition parties have strongly criticized the government, with SYRIZA labeling the reforms as “anti-labor” and disconnected from the European target of the 35-hour week.
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) condemned the bill as further deregulating working hours, building upon previous legislation introduced by Georgiadis and Hatzidakis.
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