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Government Building

The Greek legislature has ratified a disputed labor reform that enables 13-hour working days, in the face of strong resistance and nationwide protests.

Government officials stated the law will revamp the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the standard forty-hour week remains in place.

Officials emphasizes that the extended shift is elective, solely affects the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

Thursday's ballot was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right party, with the moderate faction – now the primary resistance – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that halted public transport and services to a stop.

Government Justification and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, saying the changes align national laws with modern employment realities, and alleged critics of misleading the public.

These regulations will provide employees the option to accept extra work with the same employer for increased compensation, while ensuring they cannot be fired for refusing extra hours.

The measure complies with EU labor regulations, which limit the mean workweek to 48 hours including overtime but allow flexibility over 12 months, according to the government.

Critical Viewpoints and Labor Responses

But, opposition parties have charged the government of weakening employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek employees already put in more time than most EU citizens while earning less and still "struggle to make ends meet."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in practice mean "the abolition of the standard workday, the destruction of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Workplace Reforms and Financial Context

Last year, the country introduced a six-day work schedule for certain sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

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

EU Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), 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), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's official base pay was €968 a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which concluded in 2018, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.