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Government Building

Greece's legislature has ratified a disputed labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, despite strong opposition and countrywide protests.

Government officials asserted the law will modernize Greek labor regulations, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Elements of the New Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved law, annual overtime is capped at 150 hours, while the standard 40-hour week remains in place.

The government maintains that the longer shift is elective, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Backing and Opposition

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the ruling conservative political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary opposition – rejecting the bill, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal recently that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official defended the legislation, stating the reforms align national laws with modern labor-market realities, and accused critics of misinforming the public.

These regulations will give workers the option to accept additional hours with the current company for increased pay, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

The measure follows European Union labor rules, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over 12 months, as stated by the government.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek employees currently put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in practice mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of excessive labor."

Recent Workplace Changes and Financial Context

In 2024, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

Recent laws, which started at the beginning of July, permit employees to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

EU Labor Data and Greek Economic Metrics

• Across the European Union in 2024, the longest average hours were observed in the Hellenic Republic, then Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to Eurostat.
• Starting January 2025, Greece's official base pay was nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the bottom group among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat indicate.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the poorest in the European Union.