Outside the parliament, thousands of demonstrators gathered to express opposition to the reforms.A number of hooded protesters threw petrol bombs at police, who responded with stun grenades and tear gas, forcing crowds to quickly disperse.

Police said over 18,000 people rallied over the course of the day in the capital, while around 8,000 turned out in the second largest city of Thessaloniki.

On Friday, Greeks went on a 48-hour nation-wide strike against the reforms, as Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras appealed to fractious lawmakers to approve the overhaul.

A long series of strikes and protests, against the reforms, have been organized by several professional sectors in recent months, from suited lawyers to farmers.

"What they have succeeded in doing is making us lose our dignity, our work and to find ourselves in the worst possible position a working person can find themselves in. We will continue undeterred. They will not stop us, not even today when they vote for this bill," said Marinetta Gounari, member of Athens Lawyers' Association.

"They need to think about these measures they are taking, because they are like a guillotine for people. They need to think first of how we and our families, our children, will survive, and then vote," said Panagiotis Siakas, farmer protester.