New Labor Bill Introduced in Greece Brings Sweeping Changes to Work Hours, Hiring, and Overtime

data-start="58" data-end="410" data-is-last-node data-is-only-node>Greece has introduced a sweeping labor reform bill aiming to modernize employment laws by expanding work hours and digitalizing processes, but the legislation has sparked fierce opposition from trade unions, who warn it risks undermining worker protections and fueling social unrest.

Greece has unveiled a sweeping new labor reform bill that aims to modernize the country’s employment framework but has sparked intense backlash from trade unions and labor advocates. Titled “Simplification of Labor Legislation, Strengthening of Workers, and Health and Safety in the Workplace”, the legislation was recently approved by the Greek Cabinet and marks one of the most significant overhauls of labor laws in recent years.

At the heart of the bill is a controversial change that allows employees to work up to 13 hours per day for a single employer—a provision previously permitted only in cases where a worker held two separate jobs. While the law mandates a minimum 11-hour rest period between shifts, unions have strongly opposed the measure, warning that it opens the door to exploitation, especially in a labor market where job security is limited and collective bargaining power has been weakened.

The bill also introduces a system of flexible working time arrangements, allowing businesses to extend daily hours depending on operational needs. In return, employees would receive time off, reduced hours, or additional leave. Critics say the system heavily favors employers and could erode protections for workers, especially in industries already characterized by precarious conditions.

Hiring procedures are also being radically simplified. A new fast-track system enables short-term hiring—up to two days—via mobile applications, and the hiring process overall is consolidated into a single, streamlined form.

Digital transformation is a key pillar of the bill, with Greece’s myErgani platform becoming the central tool for managing labor relations. Paperwork requirements such as leave books and annual employee registries will be eliminated if the data is recorded digitally.

The digital work card system is being expanded to accommodate flexible arrival times and sector-specific preparation periods. It also allows workers to check in up to three times per month with a single “punch” without penalty.

Employees will now have the right to register voluntary resignations through the ERGANI II system, and a provision introduces the possibility of a four-day workweek per year, subject to employer agreement, as a way to promote work-life balance.

Social protections receive some attention in the new framework. The bill introduces a unified system for recognizing insurance coverage during maternity leave, extends certain parental rights to adoptive mothers, and ensures that parental leave allowances are non-taxable and protected from seizure. The legislation also strengthens workplace protections against violence and harassment, bolstering the role of the Labor Inspectorate and consolidating related policies under a unified framework.

In the area of social security, the bill extends exemptions from insurance contributions to include bonuses for overtime, holidays, and night shifts—whether mandated by collective agreements or offered voluntarily. It also exempts earnings by working pensioners from the existing Solidarity Contribution for Pensioners, effectively increasing their take-home income.

Significantly, the bill also ratifies three longstanding international conventions from the International Labour Organization (ILO): Convention 155 on occupational health and safety, Convention 191 which amends it, and the 2014 Protocol to Convention 29 addressing forced labor. These conventions had remained unratified in Greece for decades and are expected to bring national labor law in line with international standards.

Greek labor officials, including Labor Minister Niki Kerameus and her team, have defended the bill as a necessary modernization of a rigid and outdated system. They argue that it introduces much-needed flexibility and transparency while reducing bureaucratic burdens for both employers and employees.

However, the country’s unions have responded with alarm. They argue that the bill increases employer power, undermines collective labor agreements, and risks stripping away long-standing worker protections. The national dialogue on collective bargaining—still ongoing—has been thrown into uncertainty, and the new legislation is fueling rising social tension.