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Government Building

Greece's parliament has ratified a disputed labor reform that authorizes 13-hour working days, despite widespread opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials asserted the law will revamp Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the progressive faction labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

Under the freshly approved legislation, annual extra hours is limited at 150 hours, while the standard forty-hour workweek remains in place.

Officials maintains that the longer shift is optional, only affects the business sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Political Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by MPs from the ruling centre-right party, with the moderate party – now the primary resistance – voting against the bill, while the progressive group did not vote.

Labor unions have staged two general strikes demanding the law's repeal this month that halted transportation and public services to a standstill.

Government Justification and Worker Protections

A senior official defended the bill, saying the reforms bring in line national laws with current employment realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misinforming the citizens.

These regulations will provide workers the option to take on extra work with the same employer for increased pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for declining extra hours.

This complies with EU labor rules, which cap the average week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

But, critics have accused the government of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They argue local workers currently put in more time than most EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of excessive labor."

Recent Labor Changes and Financial Background

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day working week for certain industries in a bid to boost economic growth.

New legislation, which came into effect at the start of the summer, allow workers to work up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of forty.

European Labor Data and National Financial Indicators

• 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.
• The lowest working week in the union is in the Netherlands, as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's official base pay stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the bottom group among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in August compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is improving since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but wages and living standards continue to be among the lowest in the EU.