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Government Building

Greece's parliament has given the green light a contentious labor reform that permits 13-hour working days, despite strong opposition and nationwide protests.

The administration claimed the law will revamp Greek work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing faction described it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Provisions of the New Work Legislation

Under the newly enacted law, yearly extra hours is capped at 150 hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek continues as before.

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

Political Support and Opposition

The recent ballot was supported by lawmakers from the governing centre-right party, with the moderate faction – currently the main resistance – rejecting the bill, while the progressive group abstained.

Labor unions have organized two general strikes calling for the law's repeal this month that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Employee Protections

The Labor Minister defended the bill, claiming the changes bring in line Greek legislation with current employment conditions, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the public.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on extra work with the current company for increased pay, while ensuring they will not be dismissed for refusing extra hours.

This complies with European Union labor rules, which limit the average workweek to forty-eight hours counting overtime but permit adjustments over 12 months, according to the administration.

Critical Perspectives and Union Reactions

However, critics have accused the government of weakening employee protections and "driving the country back to a medieval work era." They say Greek workers already work longer hours than the majority of Europeans while receiving lower pay and still "face financial difficulties."

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

Recent Labor Reforms and Financial Context

In 2024, Greece enacted a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to stimulate the economy.

New laws, which started at the beginning of July, permit workers to labor up to forty-eight hours in a workweek as opposed to 40.

European Labor Data and Greek Financial Indicators

• Throughout the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in Greece (39.8 hours), followed by Bulgaria, Poland (38.9) and Romania (38.8).
• The shortest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands (32.1), according to EU statistics.
• As of January 2025, Greece's national minimum wage stood at nine hundred sixty-eight euros a month, placing it in the lower tier among European nations.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at 28% during the economic downturn, was eight point one percent in August compared with an European mean of five point nine percent, data from the statistical office show.
• Greece is recovering since its prolonged financial troubles, which ended in 2018, but salaries and quality of life remain among the poorest in the EU.