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Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a hotly debated labor reform that enables 13-hour work shifts, despite widespread opposition and countrywide protests.

The administration claimed the measure will revamp the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the freshly approved legislation, yearly overtime is capped at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek stays unchanged.

Officials emphasizes that the longer workday is voluntary, solely affects the private sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to 37 days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the moderate party – now the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Worker organizations have organized two general strikes calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that halted transportation and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes bring in line Greek laws with current labor-market realities, and accused critics of misinforming the citizens.

The laws will give employees the option to accept extra work with the same employer for 40% higher compensation, while guaranteeing they will not be fired for refusing extra hours.

This complies with EU working-time regulations, which cap the mean workweek to forty-eight hours including overtime but allow adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Union Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They argue local workers currently work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

A major labor organization said flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Context

Last year, Greece enacted a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to boost the economy.

Recent legislation, which started at the start of July, allow employees to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

European Work Data and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest work hours in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's official minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, data from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life continue to be among the poorest in the EU.