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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 countrywide strike actions.

The administration asserted the law will update the country's work laws, but opposition figures from the left-wing party labeled it as a "legislative monstrosity."

Main Elements of the New Labor Law

According to the newly enacted law, yearly overtime is also at one hundred and fifty hours, while the regular forty-hour workweek remains in place.

The government insists that the extended workday is voluntary, only applies to the business sector, and can exclusively be implemented for up to thirty-seven days annually.

Parliamentary Support and Opposition

The recent vote was backed by MPs from the ruling conservative party, with the centre-left faction – currently the main resistance – voting against the bill, while the left-wing group did not vote.

Labor unions have organized multiple protests calling for the bill's withdrawal recently that brought transportation and services to a stop.

Government Defense and Employee Safeguards

The Labor Minister supported the legislation, claiming the changes align Greek legislation with modern labor-market realities, and accused opposition leaders of misleading the citizens.

The laws will provide employees the choice to take on additional hours with the current company for 40% higher compensation, while ensuring they will not be fired for refusing overtime.

This complies with EU labor regulations, which limit the mean week to forty-eight hours including extra hours but allow flexibility over a year, according to the administration.

Opposition Viewpoints and Labor Reactions

However, critics have charged the government of eroding employee protections and "pushing the country back to a medieval work era." They argue Greek employees already work longer hours than most Europeans while earning less and still "face financial difficulties."

The public-sector union said variable shifts in practice mean "the end of the eight-hour day, the disruption of personal time and the authorization of over-exploitation."

Previous Labor Changes and Economic Context

Last year, the country enacted a six-day working week for specific sectors in a attempt to boost the economy.

New legislation, which started at the beginning of the summer, permit workers to work up to 48 hours in a week as opposed to 40.

European Labor Statistics and Greek Economic Indicators

• Across the EU in 2024, the highest working weeks were observed in the Hellenic Republic, followed by Bulgaria (39.0), Poland and Romania.
• The lowest working week in the bloc is in the Netherlands, according to EU statistics.
• Starting this year, Greece's official base pay stood at €968 a month, placing it in the lower tier among EU countries.
• Joblessness, which had peaked at twenty-eight percent during the financial crisis, was 8.1% in August versus an EU average of 5.9%, figures from the statistical office indicate.
• The country is recovering since its decade-long financial troubles, which ended in recent years, but wages and quality of life remain among the poorest in the European Union.