What Changes for Employees with the New Labor Bill – 8-Hour Workday and Overtime Rules

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The new labor bill, presented by Minister of Labor Niky Kerameos on Monday, June 30, 2025, introduces greater flexibility in working conditions while preserving core employee rights such as the 8-hour workday. This reform aims to modernize employment practices and improve job quality across Greece.

One of the most notable changes is the option for employees to work up to 13 hours a day (exceptionally) for a single employer, with a 40% increase in hourly pay. Additionally, the law allows for shift workers to opt into overtime under a 4-day workweek model, also receiving a 40% wage boost for extra hours worked.

Key provisions of the labor bill include:
– Streamlining procedures by eliminating unnecessary paperwork and accelerating hiring processes.
– Introducing measures that strengthen employee rights and protections.
– Enhancing labor inspection controls to ensure better compliance with labor laws.

Employees now have more freedom in structuring their work schedules. For example, parents can request a four-day workweek year-round (previously limited to six months), allowing them more time with their children. Workers also gain flexibility in splitting annual leave into multiple periods, rather than taking it all at once.

Additional benefits include:
– More women eligible for maternity and postnatal allowances.
– Parental leave allowance made tax-free, non-transferable, and non-seizable.
– Improved workplace health and safety regulations, including mandatory safety coordinators on large construction sites.
– Mandatory first aid training (e.g., CPR, Heimlich maneuver).
– Extended maternity leave to adoptive mothers.
– Prohibition of wage reductions following the implementation of the Digital Work Card.

For employers, the bill simplifies hiring processes through fast-track options for short-term needs, eliminates redundant forms already submitted via the ERGANI II system, and reduces insurance contribution surcharges for overtime, night shifts, and holiday work. A new employer-focused digital platform similar to myErgani is also introduced.

Regarding the 8-hour workday, the government emphasized that this remains a fundamental right. However, exceptions for longer hours are permitted with mutual agreement between employer and employee, provided legal limits on rest periods and weekly maximum working hours are respected, along with the 40% wage increase for overtime.

Workers who choose to work 13-hour shifts must adhere to an annual cap of 150 overtime hours and a weekly average of 48 hours over a four-month reference period. Employers cannot terminate employees via text message, and current dismissal regulations remain unchanged.

The bill also introduces greater flexibility in annual leave distribution, allowing employees to split their vacation time into multiple segments throughout the year, subject to employer approval.

Shift workers now have the right to work beyond the standard 8-hour schedule, with a 40% premium for each additional hour if they so choose. The Digital Work Card ensures fair compensation and prevents illegal underpayment.

Finally, the 4-day workweek option (with 10-hour days) is extended from six months to the entire year, offering long-term flexibility for employees—especially working parents.