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Government Building

The Greek parliament has ratified a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour work shifts, despite fierce opposition and nationwide strike actions.

Government officials stated the law will revamp the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing party described it as a "harmful law."

Key Provisions of the Recently Passed Work Legislation

According to the freshly approved legislation, annual overtime is limited at 150 hours, while the regular 40-hour workweek continues as before.

The government maintains that the extended shift is optional, solely affects the business sector, and can only be applied for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Parliamentary Backing and Resistance

Thursday's vote was supported by MPs from the governing centre-right political group, with the centre-left party – currently the primary resistance – rejecting the legislation, while the left-wing group did not vote.

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

Official Justification and Employee Protections

A senior official supported the bill, stating the changes align Greek legislation with modern labor-market realities, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the public.

These regulations will give workers the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher pay, while guaranteeing they will not be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

The measure follows European Union labor regulations, which cap the mean week to 48 hours including extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, as stated by the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Responses

However, opposition parties have accused the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the nation back to a labor middle age." They say Greek employees currently work longer hours than most EU citizens while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated flexible working hours in reality mean "the abolition of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the legalisation of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Context

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

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

European Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Metrics

• Across the EU in 2024, the longest working weeks were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland (38.9) and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per Eurostat.
• As of this year, Greece's official minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Unemployment, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was 8.1% in the summer versus an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from Eurostat show.
• The country is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards remain among the lowest in the European Union.