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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a hotly debated labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, in the face of fierce resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive party labeled it as a "harmful law."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

Officials insists that the longer workday is voluntary, solely applies to the private sector, and can only be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Backing and Resistance

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing conservative party, with the moderate faction – now the main opposition – rejecting the legislation, while the progressive party abstained.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal this month that halted transportation and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

A senior official supported the legislation, claiming the changes bring in line Greek laws with modern employment realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to accept extra work with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with European Union labor regulations, which limit the average workweek to 48 hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

However, critics have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local workers already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "struggle to make ends meet."

A major labor organization stated variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the destruction of family and social life and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific industries in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New legislation, which came into effect at the start of July, permit employees to work up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the European Union in 2024, the highest 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 EU statistics.
• Starting January 2025, the nation's national base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Unemployment, which had reached a high at twenty-eight percent during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office show.
• The country is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the poorest in the EU.