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Government Building

The Greek parliament has given the green light a contentious labor reform that authorizes 13-hour work shifts, in the face of widespread resistance and countrywide strike actions.

Government officials claimed the measure will update the country's work laws, but critics from the left-wing party described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the Recently Passed Labor Law

Under the newly enacted law, annual overtime is also at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

Officials maintains that the longer workday is voluntary, only applies to the private sector, and can exclusively be used for up to thirty-seven days each year.

Political Support and Resistance

Thursday's vote was backed by lawmakers from the governing centre-right political group, with the moderate party – currently the primary opposition – voting against the legislation, while the left-wing party did not vote.

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

Government Defense and Worker Safeguards

A senior official defended the legislation, saying the changes align Greek laws with modern employment conditions, and alleged opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

These regulations will give employees the choice to take on extra work with the current company for increased compensation, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for declining overtime.

This complies with EU working-time rules, which cap the mean week to forty-eight hours counting extra hours but permit adjustments over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Perspectives and Labor Reactions

But, opposition parties have accused the administration of weakening workers' rights and "driving the country back to a labor middle age." They say local employees already put in more time than the majority of EU citizens while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union stated variable shifts in reality mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of family and social life and the authorization of excessive labor."

Previous Labor Reforms and Financial Background

Last year, Greece introduced a six-day work schedule for certain industries in a attempt to stimulate economic growth.

Recent legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit employees to labor up to 48 hours in a workweek as instead of 40.

EU Labor Statistics and Greek Financial Indicators

• Across the EU in the previous year, the highest average hours were recorded in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland and Romania.
• The shortest working week in the union is in the Netherlands (32.1), as per EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, the nation's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, ranking it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had reached a high at 28% during the financial crisis, was eight point one percent in August compared with an EU average of five point nine percent, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• Greece is improving since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but salaries and living standards continue to be among the poorest in the European Union.